Ill Intentions
by lolopixie
Summary: [Hiatus] Raven's been feeling sick lately, and it's beginning to affect her work. She doesn't want to tell the team, but after she's been avoiding them and then gets injured in battle, they're starting to wonder.
1. Chapter 1

Hello out there fellow fanfiction readers. I'm proud to say (I think,) that this is my first Teen Titans fanfiction. (My second fanfic ever, but that was a while ago.) Actually, this wasn't even supposed to by my fanfic. I started a different story a couple days ago, but got stuck and didn't know where to take the story. So, I started writing this one earlier tonight instead. Anyway, enough with the intro, you came here to read.

Disclaimer: Same old stuff... I don't own the Teen Titans... yada yada. On with the story!

* * *

Raven walked quickly through the tower, into the elevator, and out the front door. She needed time to think, and she couldn't do it at home, not with everyone's constant interruptions. She recently found that the only place she could really concentrate was at the park under the shade of the trees at its edge, a place where she had found solace the night before.

In the park no one disturbed her. No one was there to ask her to participate in some silly game, or to go shopping or have a taste-testing contest where there was _never _a winner.

Lately the other Titans had been trying to involve her in their activities more, feeling that she was slowly isolating herself from the group. She was of course, but for good reason. Ever since their last battle a week ago with Dr. Light, she had been suffering from fits of nausea and dizziness. At first she thought that she was just sick or wasn't getting enough sleep, but then the symptoms got worse. Now they were even affecting her meditation. If she thought it was hard to meditate in Titans Tower _before_, just because of all the noise, she didn't know what 'hard' was. Now she needed absolute peace and quiet around her, which she could only find at the park.

She had taken her meditation mirror with her today, so that she could sift through her mind and try to gain some different perspective on her situation.

She and some of her other 'selves' had been talking for hours. The conversation, however, didn't help much, and only contributed to Raven's frustration. The green one, representing Bravery, was saying that Raven should confront her problems head-on and be aggressive in trying to find the root of the problem. The pink one, Happiness, suggested that sharing her concerns with her friends might be the best solution. If they couldn't help, at least they could give her love and support during her difficult time.

Raven sat quietly listening to each of her selves speak in turn, pondering what each one said. Finally, the yellow one, Wisdom, spoke. Raven was waiting to hear what she had to say. Wisdom was the part of Raven that was able to calm her down in situations where she was scared or nervous. It brought her a sense of clarity and understanding. But since her problems began the week before, she hadn't been able to meditate, and never got a chance to speak with Wisdom.

Wisdom looked around at the circle of Ravens staring at her, then focused on the true Raven.

"I believe that the problem doesn't lie in your mind."

…_beep_…

"We have searched through the complexities within and have not……."

Raven could see that Wisdom's mouth was still moving, but she couldn't hear anything that she was saying.

Beep

Suddenly everything around her began to lose its consistency and fade away. It was like tuning a radio and losing a certain frequency that was previously being listened to. Raven stood up and looked around, then tried to focus once more so that she wouldn't lose her concentration. This was the only connection that she had been able to make with her inner mind in a week, and she knew that it might be her last for a while if she didn't figure out what was happening with her soon.

BEEP

Raven's eyes shot open and she fell the two feet that had been between her and the ground. She quickly focused on her surroundings. She was at the edge of the park. Before she could stop to think about what had disrupted her meditation, her communicator went off, and she realized that her red broach had been beeping, a signal alerting her of trouble. She didn't have to guess what the call was about.

"Raven-" Robin's head came into view on the screen of her communicator. "Cinderblock's been spotted traveling down Main Street. We think he's heading toward City Hall. We're leaving here now, so meet us there as soon as possible."

"Got it." And with that, the connection ended, and no doubt the other Titans were piling into the T-car at this very moment.

_Well, I guess I'd better head that way now. Just because I'm having a bad day doesn't mean I can take a break._

Raven levitated to the top of a nearby tree and found a safe place to leave her mirror while she was gone. She couldn't take it with her; she wouldn't risk breaking it, or worse, letting it fall into the hands of an enemy. She shivered at the mere thought.

With one more glance at her surroundings, Raven sighed and flew off in the direction of City Hall.

* * *

BOOM!

The sound of Robin's explosives and Cyborg's sonic cannon could be heard from several blocks away.

Raven entered the scene to find Beastboy charging Cinderblock as a triceratops while Starfire hurled star bolts at him from the sky. In an instant Beastboy was suddenly flung into the air and crashed into Starfire, leaving an opening between Cinderblock and his targeted building.

As Cinderblock stepped forward, a shadow emerged from the ground in his immediate path. Raven took one look at him and decided there was no need for words… just the three that had become a part of her.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos!"

Two cars encased in black aura were thrown at Cinderblock, but before they made contact, Raven began to feel nauseous and light-headed. Losing her focus, the cars fell to the ground, leaving Cinderblock standing confused mere feet from where she was. Overcoming his temporary bewilderment, Cinderblock reached forward and snatched Raven out of the air. He squeezed her tight in his fist, choking the air out of her lungs. Raven's sight began to blur and haze, and she felt like she was going to pass out.

With every second, more of her breath left her, and Cinderblock's grip tightened. She could feel herself being slowly crushed, yet it felt more like she was drowning. She couldn't breath. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't take in any air. This was it. This was how it was going to end. She could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness; a blackness void of all thought and feeling. As she fell into nothingness, she could hear the muffled sound of voices from around her, but she could no longer tell where she was, or where the voices were. She was nameless, lost, and couldn't feel.

* * *

Okay, that's it for chapter one, but I've already got the next couple chapters written in case I get too overwhelmed with schoolwork to post.

I'd REALLY love to hear from you, no matter what you have to say. Did you like it? Hate it? Are there spelling errors that I should know about?

I'd like to get a few reviews before I post the next chapter, but I'm not gonna set any goals for how many I get. Anyway, thanks for your time, and remember to please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Ok, I'm back. It's a good thing I wrote this chapter before, because I _knew_ I wasn't going to have time to write today. I have BIG math test tomorrow. (Wish me luck)

Anyway, I'd like to give a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed my story, I was only expecting like... two. I can't thank everyone individually, so here's one big **THANK YOU!** Oh, and for those of you who thought Raven was pregnant, she's not. To be honest, that never even _occurred_ to me as a possibility, but it would make sense... you guys must be really good at figuring out the endings to mystery movies. Oh, and I'd like to take the time to quickly thank Cat o'thWind for your review. I was hoping to get some constructive criticism. I never noticed before, but I _do_ lack detail of surroundings. I'll try to work on that in the future, thanx.

Ok, sorry for the monologue... I don't own Teen Titans... and here's chapter two.

* * *

"Raven?"

…

"Raven, can you hear me?"

She knew that voice. It was familiar, but very distant.

From even farther away she could hear other voices speaking.

"Dude, is she gonna be okay? I mean, did you see how pale she was when we got to her?"

"Yes, and she is covered in bruises and various other injuries. I fear that the Cinderblock has caused her internal damage."

"I wouldn't be surprised, he was crushing her. We should have gotten to her sooner."

…

"Raven?"

There was that voice again, closer to her than the others. It echoed all around her. She wanted to find her way back to wherever the voices were coming from, but she couldn't move.

"_Please_ Raven, wake up…"

She gathered what little remaining strength she had, and somehow managed to pull herself toward the voice.

Suddenly there was a great pain. She was no longer dull to feeling and lifeless, but now awake and in tune with her body.

Raven's eyelids fluttered and she moaned with the effort of trying to open them. It felt like minutes before she was finally able to accomplish the simple task.

Everything around her was bright and hurt to look at. It seemed painfully white, with the exception of a red and black blob hovering directly above her. As her eyes began to come into focus, she recognized the blob of color to be Robin, standing over her with a look of fear and concern mixed on his face.

She tried to say something, but the effort caused her too much pain, and all that escaped was another moan.

"Raven, don't try to talk. You were hurt pretty badly in the fight, and it'll be awhile before you get any of your strength back."

The memories of the fight came rushing back to her: Beast Boy flying through the air as a triceratops, the sound of Cyborg's sonic blast, the two cars that she had surrounded with dark energy, and then the feeling of being compressed into nothing.

It hurt to think of the memories, so she gave up and focused on the present. After a moment she realized that Robin was holding an oxygen mask to her mouth.

_I must have just gotten here…_

Another minute passed in which Robin continued to hold the oxygen mask to Raven, while constantly checking the machinery next to her for some kind of reading. Finally satisfied, he removed the mask and set it on the table next to the bed.

"When we brought you here I first checked for any obvious serious injuries before bringing you into the emergency ward to get your stats back to normal. We haven't had time yet to take x-rays, so I'm gonna do that now… I'll need Cyborg to help me operate the equipment though, so I need to leave for a minute to get him, but I'll be right back." He was talking to her as if she were a young child scared of being alone.

After a moment's pause of hesitation, Robin left the room to get Cyborg, who was waiting just outside the door talking with the others.

Raven took another look at her surroundings, able to take more in this time. She could hear the soft beeping of the machinery around her, and noted Robin's cape thrown haphazardly to a chair in the corner, although most of it wasn't even on the chair.

_It must be pretty bad, to have even Robin rattled this much. _

The door opened and Cyborg and Robin entered. Cyborg headed over to the side, where the x-ray room was, while Robin came over to her.

"Okay Raven, if you could just try and stay awake for a few more minutes while we take the x-rays, then you can rest. All right?"

Raven nodded ever so slightly to let him know that she understood. Every movement caused her intense pain, and although she knew that she only had to stay awake for a little while longer, she sensed that it was going to be a long night.

* * *

Wow, I just realized how short my chapters are. Okay, I guess I'll go ahead and post chapter three then, to give you more stuff to read. I hope you like what you read. And don't forget to review! 


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, here's chapter 3 of Ill Intentions. Once again, thank you to all who reviewed. It meansa lot to me that you took the time to. Oh ya, Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

I don't own Teen Titans, and I think this is the last time I'm gonna say it, because it's _implied_... I mean, this is fanfiction.

* * *

Raven awoke to the sound of a sneeze. Opening her eyes, she could tell that it was late.

"Friend Raven, I am sorry if my sneeze has woken you. I was not able to contain it any longer."

"It's all right Starfire."

Starfire sat forward, looking somewhat surprised to hear Raven talking, even as weak as it was.

"What time is it?"

"It is four o'clock of the am. May I fetch something for you? Water perhaps?"

"No, I'm fine."

Starfire suddenly looked persistent.

"Fine you are not Raven. At least let me retrieve you a dampened cloth." It was more a question than a statement, and Raven could see the desire to help in Starfire's eyes.

"That would be nice, thank you."

While Starfire went to get a moist cloth, Raven closed her eyes and realized how tired and sore she was.

"Here you are."

Starfire set down a bowl of water next to Raven's bed and took out a washcloth. She wrung the material until it was only damp, then folded it and placed it on Raven's forehead.

"Thanks Star. You're a real friend."

"It brings me great delight to help those I hold dearest." Starfire's eyes were lit up and there was a large yet humble smile on her face.

* * *

Several hours later Raven woke once again, but this time of her own accord. It was apparently Robin's watch, for he was sitting in the chair that Starfire had been in earlier.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a bus."

"I'm sorry it took us so long to free you from Cinderblock. We tried, but he just wouldn't let go. If we had gotten you out of his grasp sooner, you wouldn't be so badly hurt."

Robin's eyes were downcast, and he was staring at the floor. He looked… _ashamed_.

Raven turned her head to better face him, and gave him a small, very faint smile.

"It's not your fault. It's all a part of the business. Each of us knew what the risks were when we joined the Teen Titans."

"I know, but we're supposed to protect each other, so no one _does_ get hurt."

"In a perfect world things would work like that. But this _isn't_ a perfect world…"

Raven's voice took a dark tone when she said the last part, more to herself than to Robin.

"Raven, what's been bothering you lately?"

"Nothing more than usual."

"That's not true, I can tell."

"I don't want to talk about it Robin, I'm tired." Raven was irritated and rolled over on her side, so that she was no longer facing him.

"You've been asleep for hours, I think you can manage to stay awake for a few minutes to explain to me why you've been acting weird lately."

"So I've been acting 'weird', what else is new?" Raven said it with such a bitter tone that Robin was taken aback.

"Raven… we don't think of you like that. We know that you're different, and that you need time to yourself in order to stay in control, but you've been going out of your way to avoid us lately."

"Well I'm sorry that I don't like to play games with you guys all the time or keep you entertained when you're bored. There must be something wrong with me, because who _wouldn't_ want to play stankball every afternoon, or play stupid practical jokes all the time, or put bows and barrettes in their hair just to see what it would look like?"

Robin could tell that she was upset, but not over being called weird. She was upset about something else, and she refused to let anyone know what that something was. He decided to just let the matter go for the night.

"Fine Raven, go back to sleep. But I want you to know that we'll talk about this again tomorrow."

Raven could hear Robin go back to the chair and unfold a newspaper. She had won for tonight, but tomorrow she might not be so lucky.

As she untensed and began getting comfortable in order to sleep, Raven noticed that her cheeks had tearstains on them, but how exactly they got there, she didn't know.

* * *

Well, that's all for now. I'll update as soon as I find the time. It's a busy week, but I might be able to write inbetween things. As usual, I'd LOVE to hear from you, whether you liked it, or if you thought it was the worse thing ever written. Talk to ya soon 


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, I'm so sorry for the long wait. This week has been insane. I've had SO much homework, then a project where I've had to meet up with a group several times, and then I had an orthodontist appointment, which, long story short, was not a happy experience. I even had to go back again today. Ugh. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

It had been three days since the accident and Raven was already sleeping in her own room and occasionally walking around the tower. At first the others had protested, concerned that she was overexerting herself, but after a heated debate in which Raven brought up the point that she had been healing herself since the accident, they decided to let it go. But they didn't let her off without any limitations. They had temporarily banned her from accompanying them to battle should one arise over the next few days at least.

Raven was grateful to be out of the emergency ward and back in her own room, where she was able to keep her distance from the others most hours of the day. She had almost had to confront Robin several times after the talk they had the morning after the accident. Each time was a narrow escape on her part, pretending to be meditating whenever he entered the room. True, she wasn't able to meditate at the moment, but _he_ didn't know that… and he knows how much she doesn't like to be disturbed when meditating.

It was late in the afternoon and Raven was getting kind of hungry. She left her room and turned down the dimly lit hallway, walking toward the living area. Once there, she stepped through the sliding doors and went over to the fridge to get some dinner.

"Hey Raven, long time no see. How've you been?"

Raven looked over her shoulder to see Beast Boy sitting on the couch, now turned around over the back and facing her.

"I'm feeling better. I'm still a little bit sore, but other than that I'm fine."

"You had us all really worried you know. Did Robin tell you what happened when we found you?"

Raven set down the salad that she had taken out of the refrigerator on the counter and turned around, curious about what Beast Boy had to say. She raised an eyebrow, which Beast Boy took as an indication that she hadn't heard.

"Well, we finally got Cinderblock to drop you, which was all because of my genius and daring I might add… see, I turned into this big snake and wrapped around his other arm so-"

"Beast Boy. Try to focus."

"Right, sorry. So, he finally let you go, right? Well, Cyborg and Star got to you first, then me and Robin. But you weren't moving, and you were barely breathing at all… at first we thought you might have been… _dead_."

At that, Beast Boy's voice became quiet and he shuddered as he said it aloud, staring at the seat of the couch.

"Man that was scary. I was freaking out… _everyone_ was. I mean, I know that when we fight, someone's bound to get hurt sometimes, but I've never actually thought that one of us might _die_ in battle."

Raven stood perfectly still, staring at Beast Boy with no apparent emotion on her face. Finally, after a few moments of silence, Beast Boy cleared his throat and stood up, making his way over to the kitchen. He walked past Raven and over to the pantry to get a bag of chips to snack on.

It was an awkward silence that Raven finally decided to break. After putting some salad in a bowl and returning the bag to its place in the refrigerator, she turned to face Beast Boy, who was leaning against the counter eating his chips, a look of deep thought on his face.

_Wow, I almost hate to ruin the moment when Beast Boy actually_ thinks.

"I'm sorry I scared you guys like that."

Beast Boy paused mid-bite and looked Raven square in the eyes. He was almost intimidating with the look he had on his face.

"Just… don't get hurt again, ok? I don't know what the team would do if you or someone else actually _did_ die."

A sudden wave of guilt swept over Raven. She hadn't told any of them about what was happening with her, and since she didn't know what exactly _was_ wrong, it could potentially be very dangerous. But she couldn't tell them. She would just worry them even more over something they couldn't do anything about. No, she shouldn't say anything.

Raven took her bowl of salad to the other side of the counter and sat at a stool to eat. After finishing a couple minutes later, she got up and put her bowl in the sink.

"Your night to do dishes, right?"

"Ya, just leave it there. I'll get to it later."

"All right, well if anyone needs me, I'm going to the park for a little while. I left something there that I need to get."

"Wait, you're leaving!"

Beast Boy almost dropped his bag of chips on the floor.

"Ya… is there something wrong with me going to the park for a few minutes?"

"Wrong? You're not really even supposed to be walking around, let alone going out _by yourself._"

"Beast Boy, I'm fine. I'll be back soon."

Without another word Raven became a black shadow and melted into the floor, vanishing from sight.

"Man, I _hate_ when she does that, it's not fair."

"What's not fair?" Cyborg asked as he and Starfire came into the room.

Sorry it was so short and uneventful. I'm already working of future chapters, so hang in there.


	5. Chapter 5

All right, here's chapter 5 of Ill Intentions, I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and thank you to everyone who reviewed, you're very encouraging and I greatly appreciate it.

* * *

Raven had been at the park for half an hour. She sat on one of the cold wooden benches that lined the pathway of the park, her mirror set down next to her. The lights that dotted the landscape had long been on, giving the place a feeling of being frozen in time. Even though she was out alone, in the open, at night, this was the safest she'd felt in a long while.

She couldn't bring herself to return to the tower… not yet. Her thoughts were all mixed and she didn't know what to do about her current situation. She had hoped that maybe sitting on the bench would give her time to clear her head, or at least give her _some_ insight as to what she should do.

Raven let out a tired sigh. This wasn't helping. She stood up, ready to go home, when a rare feeling occurred. She turned around and stared at her surroundings as if looking for some clue as to what it was she felt she wanted to do. After a few more moments of staring and wonder, a smile came to her face.

She took off her cloak, folding it neatly and laying it on the bench next to her mirror. Then she slipped off her shoes and placed them on top of the cloak. Raven paused for another moment, incredulous of how obeying she was being to her emotions.

Taking a quick look to make sure no one was around to witness Jump City's "weird" superheroine acting in such a bizarre way, Raven took a deep, calming breath.

She stepped lightly into the grass, her bare foot feeling the cool dew that had begun to settle on the ground. She began to walk around slowly, staring all the while down at her feet as they settled on the damp ground.

It felt good to have time just to herself, to let go for once in her life and feel free to do what she wanted. This almost made up for her lack of meditation for nearly the past two weeks. She had been wound up really tight lately, nearing the end of her sanity it seemed.

Another moment of spontaneity passed when Raven suddenly lowered herself to the ground and sat with her knees brought up in front of her chest. She reached out with her left hand and grazed the tips of the blades of grass around her.

The young Titan yawned. It was getting late, and she was becoming tired, but she still didn't feel ready to leave. It was just so peaceful here.

_I'll just stay for a little while longer._

At that thought Raven laid back on the ground, looking up into the night sky. It was perfect. The color was of a deep blue, almost black, with dots of white breaking it's consistency. There were a few gray clouds off in the distance, but they didn't concern her at the moment. They were still a ways off.

Looking into the heavens, all of the thoughts that had been plaguing her as of late began going through her mind.

_How am I going to get myself out of this mess?_

Sometime over the next few minutes, Raven drifted off into a peaceful sleep, there in the park beneath the luminescent night sky.

* * *

It had been over four hours since Beast Boy said that Raven had left. Now the four remaining Titans were gathered in the living room, tensions high, waiting…

"And she told you that she was only going to be gone for a few minutes?" Robin stopped pacing the room to turn toward Beast Boy, who sat at the table looking guilty for letting her go.

"Ya, she said she'd be back in a little while… I should've stopped her when she left."

"BB, she went through the floor, not much you could've done to stop her." Cyborg gave Beast Boy a reassuring smile, then added, "Besides, we don't even know that anything happened to her. Maybe she just decided to go out for a while. After all, she's been cooped up in the tower for days now. She's not the type to just sit around if she doesn't want to."

"Yes, perhaps she is just 'needingher space'. Raven is very complicated, but also she is very smart. She can defend herself adequately should any trouble arise, I do not think there is need to worry just yet."

"Star, it's 3:00 in the morning. She knows that she shouldn't go some-"

Robin's words were cut off as the doors slid open, revealing a certain purple-haired heroine.

Raven entered the room, intending to get a cup of tea before going to bed, but stopped when she noticed the group of friends gathered around the table staring at her.

Setting her mirror down on the counter, she sighed and turned to face them.

"Where have you been?" Robin took a few steps forward.

"I went to the park. I needed to get something." Raven kept her usual indifferent tone.

The other three sitting at the table decided to let Robin handle the situation. They knew how Raven could get if she felt cornered, and they didn't want to get maimed or thrown through the air just for speaking. He was the expert when it came to group discussions.

"What takes four hours to do at the park?"

Raven could tell from Robin's look that he wasn't anywhere near finished questioning her for the night. She had dodged him too much lately, and it was bound to catch up with her eventually. Still, the fact that she had practically been ambushed only made her angry. She didn't have to put up with this.

"It's none of your business what I was doing." Raven just continued to stare straight into the eyes of that familiar black and white mask.

"I'm the leader, of course it's my business. But more importantly, you're my friend, and I'm worried about you. We all are."

"I'm not anyone's business, Robin, leader or not. I have my own way of dealing with things, you know that."

For several moments they both just stared at each other. Sensing that she wasn't going to back down on that point, Robin decided to go about it a different way.

"Why didn't you take your communicator with you?"

At this Raven paused. Hadn't it been in her pocket? She began to feel around in her cloak, checking pockets until finally she realized that one had a rather large hole in it.

"I guess it must've fallen out."

Robin held out her communicator to her, which she hesitantly took. It almost felt like she was a prisoner being given an ankle-bracelet tracking device to wear at all times.

"Don't lose it again."

"Fine."

Robin half turned toward the rest of his teammates behind him, but kept eye contact with Raven.

"All right Titans, lets go to bed. We've got a long day of training tomorrow."

The others stood up from the table and began to walk past the two standing in the middle of the room. After a brief moment Robin started to join the others and go off to bed. "Good night Raven."

The door closed behind him and she was left alone.

_How is it that I just keep making this worse?_

Raven became frustrated and let her powers get the better of her. As she spun on her heel to turn to the kitchen for some tea, a nearby lamp exploded in a cloud of black energy.

* * *

Okay,another chapter down. As usual I'll try to get the nextone up as soon as possible. Thanks to all who take the time to read my story, it means a lot to me. Don't forget to review. 


	6. Chapter 6

All right it's the weekend, so here's another chapter for all you guys. As usual I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews, I love reading them! But anyway, getting to the point of why you all came here... on with the story!

* * *

Boom Boom Boom … Thump!

Raven jumped up and looked around, confused for a moment. She was on the floor of her room next to her bed, tangled up in her sheets. Why did she fall out of bed?

Boom Boom Boom

Raven looked toward the door where someone was knocking. That explained it. She had managed to untangle herself from the mess on the floor and headed over to the door, opening it slightly when she got there.

"What?"

Cyborg looked back at her with an innocent smile on his face.

"We're supposed to meet for training in half an hour, and I thought you might want to have some breakfast before we started. Beast Boy's cooking it right now, so it should be ready soon."

After a pause in which Cyborg noticed the doubtful look on Raven's face, he added, "Don't worry, I made sure he made some normal breakfast for the rest of us."

"I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Ok, I'll let Starfire know to get out another plate." And with that Cyborg took off down the hall, whistling a tune casually as if this was his daily routine.

Raven closed the door and went back to make her bed.

Cyborg had acted as if nothing happened last night. She could only hope that none of the others brought it up today either, though, knowing them, someone was bound to mention it sooner or later.

* * *

Soon after, Raven emerged from her dark bedroom and went to join the others for breakfast.

_Waffles… of course._

Raven sat at the table where Starfire and Robin were already seated, while Beast Boy and Cyborg served the food in a ritualistic manner. Beast Boy, playing the role of the waiter, walked around the table and placed the ladies' napkins in their laps. When he got to Raven, she simply rolled her eyes as he unfolded her napkin.

"Is this absolutely necessary?" She placed her head on the palm of her hand at the table, sighing.

"But ov course Mademoiselle."

With that said, Beast Boy left the table and went back to the kitchen to start bringing in the food.

"All this for waffles…"

"Oh, but Raven, it is most pleasant to be served the meal of daybreak. The television says that it is the most important meal of the day."

Raven glanced at Starfire, who merely giggled and then continued the conversation she was having with Robin.

_And they say _I'm _the weird one_.

* * *

After everyone had eaten and helped clean up the kitchen, they headed outside for training. As usual, the Titans assembled in a line, waiting for Robin to give them their instructions.

"Okay team, today we're going to go about this somewhat differently. We're going to break up into two groups, one of which will be using obstacle course A, and the other, obstacle course B on the other side of Titan Island."

The four Titans standing in line didn't seem like this change of pace was unusual. Robin was always trying to bring in new ideas for training, in order to keep them practiced on dealing with new situations.

"I want to get started as soon as possible since today is a heavy training day, so Star, Cyborg and BB: you're on course A. Raven: you're coming with me to course B. We'll meet back here when we're done in two hours."

With that, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg turned and headed off to course A.

Raven, however, stood where she was, looking somewhat annoyed. She knew he had set it up this way on purpose, in order to get a chance to talk with her. While he _did_ have good intentions, she wasn't very happy.

_Great, now I'm stuck with the Boy Wonder for the next couple hours. Why can't I ever have _good _luck?_

"Raven, would you mind flying us to course B? It would save us a little bit of time."

"Sure."

The next moment they were encompassed in Raven's black aura and were soaring over to the other side of the island, where she placed them gently on the ground in the middle of the obstacle course.

After landing, Raven turned and walked over to what appeared to be a wall of dirt. Upon touching it, a large computer was revealed and she stepped up to the controls.

"You ready?" She looked to Robin.

"Ya. Set it to level 5 to start with."

Raven turned back to the computer and hit a few buttons, then walked back over to join Robin.

Any second now various weapons and machinery were going to jump out of the ground and start attacking them. The two stood with their backs to each other, covering all directions.

Then it began.

* * *

Ok that's it for chapter 6. It'll be a bit more interesting next chapter,I promise. In fact I'm working on it at this very moment (more or less). Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please don't forget to review!


	7. Chapter 7

Ok guys, sorry for the wait and the fact that the chapter's kinda short, but it's mid-week and I'm SO busy. I just thought I'd post a chapter while I could still find time, so here you go, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Machines of all shapes and sizes sprang out from the earth to hit them from different heights and angles. For this training they were simply supposed to dodge attacks and keep each other safe until time ran out.

Lasers were being shot from the direction that Raven was facing, while metal disks were flung from Robin's side. He was already making quick work of the disks, throwing his own weapons to intercept them. Raven was using her powers to deflect the lasers.

Then the ground started to move, blocks of it rising then falling, and big holes in the ground just suddenly appearing and disappearing just as quickly. This was where the training became more difficult.

"All right Raven, let's start moving around."

With that command, Raven hovered herself a few feet off the ground, ready to go whatever direction Robin did. He began jumping from pillar to pillar of moving dirt, dodging attacks along the way. Raven was still blocking the lasers, but at the same time she was also dodging rocks that were being thrown at great speed toward them. She didn't think it fair to just shield herself from everything while the others had to physically move, so she only used her shield when absolutely necessary.

"Ok, now let's split up to disarm some of the weapons. I'll take the north side, you take the south."

It was common for Robin to suddenly shout out commands, and no one was expected to respond, just to follow them.

Raven flew to the side of the course nearest the tower; the south side. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Robin carefully make his way over to the northern side.

Not keeping full attention on her immediate surroundings, she was taken by surprise as a rock suddenly came crashing into her side, forcing her to fall to the ground right in front of one of the armed machines. It reached out at lightning speed and wrapped a long metal tentacle around her, holding her in place. She quickly looked around her for something to help her get out when she noticed a nearby laser changing its aim for her. She knew that being hit by one of the training lasers wouldn't do any _serious_ damage, but it could still really hurt you.

With instantaneous reflexes, Raven used her power to grab the closest boulder that she could, and hurled it at the laser, then she covered the metal tentacle in her own black power and took control of it, freeing herself from its grasp. She stood up quickly and took another look at her surroundings to see how much they had changed in the few seconds that she hadn't been watching.

She noticed Robin looking in her direction, obviously making sure she was OK. But that moment of distraction was all it took for him to get hit in the back with a rock just like she had been earlier. He was knocked to the ground, temporarily immobilized from the shock of the hit. The next second Raven gasped, seeing several sharp metal disks flying at him from the side, and he didn't look like he would be able to dodge them. She always thought that having the disks on the obstacle course was really dangerous, but so far no one had been seriously injured.

"NO!"

Raven screamed, letting her powers consume their entire surroundings. All she wanted to do was stop the disks before they hit him. Several things in the area exploded: rocks, parts of the ground, and several of the machines around the course, but she was able to take control of the disks in time and let them fall to the ground right next to where Robin was.

_That was so close. _

He looked up at her, a little shaken at how badly a simple training session had gone, and then stood up.

Raven was still stunned, wide-eyed and standing perfectly still. She could still feel her powers trying to rage out of control, when all of the sudden her vision began to blur and she had that all-too-familiar sick feeling throughout her entire body.

_Not again…_

Everything in her mind was becoming distorted. She could still hear the sounds of the course around her crumbling, bits of rocks falling off of the pillars, but now it was all muffled. She could feel herself start to sway, unable to keep her balance.

Robin took notice of this and began walking quickly over to her to see what was wrong, when he noticed the pillar that she was standing by start to crack and fall apart. It was going to fall on her and she didn't even notice it.

"Raven look out!"

He started to sprint toward her. Why wasn't she moving out of the way? He wasn't going to make it. He wasn't going fast enough.

It took all of his strength and determination to move that quickly. He just _had_ to get to her in time.

Now he was only ten feet away, but the rock had already started to fall, and she wasn't moving. She just stood there and swayed dangerously, looking like she was trying to hold on to something.

"Raven!"

At the last second Robin ran by her at full speed, wrapping an arm around her waist to move her out of the falling pillar's fatal path.

He heard the sound of it crash heavily onto the ground behind him and he skidded to a halt. He let out a deep breath and looked down at his arm, where he was holding an unconscious Raven.

* * *

Again, I apologize for it being so short (though all of my chapters are), but as usual I'm already working on the next one, so I'll get that posted as soon as I can. Thanks for reading, and please don't forgetto review!


	8. Chapter 8

Okay I'm back. I'm sorry, I was going to post yesterday, but I started writing this other story, which was supposed to be really short, but it just kept growing. I get distracted so easily.

I want to thank everyone for your reviews, I love them. Several people have asked me where I'm going with this story, or if it's Rae/Rob or Rae/BB, and to be honest, I haven't planned that far ahead. I had _originally_ intended for it to be Rae/BB, but as with anything I start to write, it always just goes its own way. It's turned out to be more Rae/Rob, so I might go that way. Or I might just end up with everyone being close friends. I'm not sure yet.

* * *

"Friend Raven, please awaken."

Was that… _Starfire_?

"She looks like she's coming to. BB- go get Robin and tell him she's waking up."

"Got it."

Where was she? What happened?

"Where is it that Robin has gone?"

Raven could hear the voices of her friends talking, but was only able to understand a few of the words spoken.

"He just stepped into the hall, he needed a minute to himself. I think that because of what happened Robin just couldn't stay in here any longer."

… _Robin_…

Hadn't he been in trouble? She had to make sure he was OK.

"Robin…" She felt the word escape her tired lips in an almost inaudible whisper.

"I'm right here Raven. It's all right."

Suddenly she felt a gloved hand gently take hold of hers, but it felt like her hand was a million miles away. She was so tired.

She would have smiled if she didn't feel so exhausted. Robin was fine. There was nothing to worry about.

With the comfort that thought had brought her, she allowed herself to drift back into the warm comfort that unconsciousness brought her.

* * *

Raven opened her eyes to find herself in the hospital room near the top of Titans Tower. Slowly, she raised her head in an effort to sit up, but was only able to prop herself up on her elbows. She was so stiff and tired. What was going on?

"Here, let me help you."

Robin came from seemingly nowhere and was at Raven's bedside in an instant. He stacked her pillows against the headrest and helped slide her up against them into a sitting position.

Raven took a moment to steady herself before speaking. Robin waited patiently, not wanting to pressure her into doing anything she was too weak for.

"Robin, what happened? The last thing I remember is the metal disks about to hit you on the obstacle course…"

Robin looked at her intently for a moment.

"You don't remember anything after that?"

Raven shook her head lightly, looking somewhat confused.

Robin pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Well, you saved me from that. Your powers exploded and you were able to stop them from hitting me."

He stared at her for a little while longer, pausing in his story, trying to see if it triggered her memory of what happened next. But she just sat there and stared back, getting slightly impatient.

"After I stood up I looked at you. You suddenly just looked so out of it. You had your hand up to your head and you started to become unbalanced. I was just walking over to see if you were all right, when the pillar next to you started to come apart and fall over. Your powers had kind of destabilized the obstacle course."

Raven thought for a moment. She remembered feeling sick again and then blacking out… and she thought she heard her name yelled out at some point…

"I tried to warn you, but you couldn't hear me, so I ran as fast as I could to get to you. I honestly didn't think I was going to make it. All these images kept coming to my mind of what would happen if I was too late… I was so scared."

Raven's gaze fell and she looked down at her blankets. This was the second time in a week she had scared her teammates like this, and she was beginning to feel _really_ guilty about it.

There was a moment's silence before Robin continued.

"I don't know how it was possible, but I got to you right when the pillar would have hit, and I was able to get you out of the way. When I stopped and looked down at you, you were unconscious."

Robin and Raven both lifted their heads slightly and made eye contact. Raven felt terribly guilty looking into those masked eyes of his. She could tell that today had been really hard on him, and that he had been physically and emotionally stretched to the point of exhaustion.

"I'm sorry Robin… for everything."

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault or anything. But I want you to be honest with me Raven, please. What happened out there?"

He looked like he was begging her to give him a reason for why things happened the way they did. He knew that something was up with her, and he was really concerned, but she still wasn't ready to let them all know.

"I-" she paused, thinking. "I was just so worn out after using my powers. Whenever I let my powers take control like that, it's really draining on my energy. I just started to feel kind of woozy and light-headed, that's all."

Robin raised an eyebrow, unsure of whether or not she was telling the truth.

"Are you sure that was it?"

"Of course I am. It's happened to me a few times before when I used too much power, remember?"

"Ya… I guess that makes sense." Another pause. "I should probably go now, it's getting late and you need your rest."

"Oh no you don't. I understand why you brought me here and everything, and I'm grateful that you care, but I refuse to spend one more night in this hospital room."

Raven's eyes were dead set and serious, and Robin couldn't help but laugh a little.

"I guess you could sleep in your room if you really wanted to, but just make sure that you let Cyborg check you out one more time tomorrow to make sure you're all right."

"If it means I don't have to be here, I'll do _anything_."

Robin paused and raised an eyebrow as a thought came into mind.

"Well in that case, I should probably tell you that Beast Boy was really looking forward to a movie night tomorrow. He said something about watching _Young Frankenstein_."

"And… you want me to be there?"

"You said you'd do anything. Besides, I think the others want to spend some 'quality time' together. So, you up for it?"

"I guess I could sit through one of Beast Boy's movies…"

Raven looked unsure, like she was mentally calculating some complex equation, until she finally came to a decision.

"All right, you've got a deal. I'll watch the movie tomorrow if I can sleep in my own room."

"Ok then."

And with that, Robin turned out of the room and headed down the dim hallway.

Raven stared at the doorway for a moment, her thoughts about her guilt and her friends' worry once again surfacing in her mind.

_I need to figure out what's wrong with me, before this gets any worse._

_

* * *

_

Okay, the end of yet another chapter. Again, sorry it took me so long to post. I'm hoping I'll have a little bit more free time this week for writing, but I doubt it. I'll post the next chapter whenever I get the chance, so hang in there. And please don't forget to review!


	9. Chapter 9

Hey, it's still the weekend, so here's another chapter. I found time to write earlier this morning, so here you go, my gift to you:

* * *

The next day had started out like always, Beast Boy and Cyborg playing video games, Starfire reading up on earth fairytales, and Robin sat reading the newspaper.

Raven entered the room and walked over to the pantry in the kitchen to get some bread for making toast. She was kind of hungry and felt like having more than her usual morning tea. She made her toast without being disturbed and walked over to a chair near where Starfire was and sat down to eat.

"Raven, might I ask you a question?"

"Sure Star, what's on your mind?"

"Please, what exactly is a 'dwarf'?"

Raven let out a brief laugh from the surprise that the question had brought her. She wasn't expecting that to be Starfire's question, although knowing Starfire you could never predict what she was going to say.

This was just a typical morning in the tower, and no one had bothered Raven until almost noon, a new record. This time it was Cyborg who came up to her.

"Hey Raven, I wanted to talk to you."

Raven closed her book and looked up at him suspiciously. This almost never went well for her.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Cyborg looked around the room, and realizing that Beast Boy and Robin were still there, motioned for her to follow him. They walked out of the room and turned a few corners, stopping in a quiet hallway. Cyborg folded his arms and looked at Raven expectantly.

"What?"

"You know what I want to talk about. What's going on with you Raven? You've been acting… _different_ for a while now." He was very careful to avoid words like 'strange' and 'weird'. Robin had obviously told him about their conversation in the hospital room that night.

"I don't want to talk about it Cyborg."

"Rae, come on, I know something's wrong. If you tell us we can try to help."

"No offense, but I don't think any of you could help me."

"How can say that if you've never even given us the _chance_ to help you?"

"Believe me Cyborg, it's complicated. Even _I'm _not really sure what's going on. But if you'll excuse me now, I'm going to go back and read, it calms my nerves."

Raven turned around and started to walk away when she heard Cyborg speak behind her.

"Raven, just promise me that you'll find someone to talk to."

She turned around, thinking about what he said. Would that really be the best thing to do? That _is_ what Happiness had wanted her to do before, but she almost never made the best decisions. Maybe it was worth a shot.

Raven began walking again, and just before she turned the corner, she glanced back at Cyborg over her shoulder. "I'll think about it."

Cyborg watched as she disappeared around the corner.

Raven walked down the hallway in the direction of her room, the whole time thinking about what Cyborg had said to her. Should she really tell someone? How would they be able to help her, when she didn't even know what was wrong?

After a minute Raven found herself standing in front of her door. She was about to enter when she got the overwhelming feeling of not wanting to be alone. Instead of going through the doors, she kept walking, which eventually led her back to the living room where her friends were. Walking back over to the chair that she was sitting in earlier, she picked up her book and sat back down. She opened the book to the page where she had left off, but found that no matter how hard she tried, she just wasn't able to concentrate on what she was reading. Now she desperately wanted to tell someone what was worrying her… but who could she tell?

Raven looked around the room. Beast Boy was still playing video games on the couch, but she doubted that he would be a big help. He'd probably just say something stupid anyway. He was playing alone, so Raven assumed that Cyborg had gone downstairs to go work on the T-Car, that's normally where he went during his free time. But she didn't feel very comfortable telling him, so she continued searching the room. Robin was in the kitchen making a sandwich. She could always tell him, he'd understand, and he wouldn't blab her secret to the first person he saw. He would genuinely be concerned for her, and help her in any way that he could. But she couldn't put that much pressure on him, he had been through too much already with her. So the only one left was-

"Starfire?"

The redhead looked up from her book of fairytales with a smile on her face. "Yes friend?"

"Um… could I talk to you about something?"

"Oh, of course! Whatever is on your mind Raven?"

Starfire closed her book and set it down on the table, then leaned forward to give Raven her full attention.

"Hold on, I want to go somewhere private for this. Would you come with me to my room?"

"Certainly."

The two girls stood up and walked out of the room, Starfire bouncing up and down from the excitement of having 'girl talk' with Raven. It was so rare that they shared things with one another, especially Raven.

Raven opened her door and waited for Starfire to enter before she closed it. Starfire took a moment to look around the dark room, wondering how anyone could live in such a manner. But it was Raven, and she was 'special'.

Raven walked over to her bed and sat down, then motioned for Starfire to do the same. When Starfire sat down next to her, Raven sighed.

"What is it Raven? Is something bothering you?"

"Ya Star, something _is_ bothering me…"

Raven paused, looking like she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to speak again.

"Raven, whatever it is, you can tell me. Do not be scared or nervous."

Starfire put an arm around Raven, leaning closer trying to reassure her. Normally Raven would have pulled back or cringed at such an action, but she could tell how sincere her friend was being, and that was exactly what she needed… a _friend_.

"Thanks Star."

Starfire once again gave Raven a huge, reassuring smile. Maybe this wasn't so hard after all.

It took Raven a minute, but once she started telling Starfire about her problems it got easier to speak, and without even realizing it she had opened herself up to the Tamaranian girl. Raven felt a huge weight being lifted off of her shoulders. Sure, the problem itself was still there, whatever it was, but now she wasn't alone. Someone was there to help her, and comfort her, and be concerned for her.

Raven spoke for half an hour with Starfire listening patiently, letting Raven relieve all of her troubles and fear without interruption. Finally, Raven was nearing the end.

"And then Cyborg asked me to tell someone, and after a while I decided that I should. Then I found you in the living room, and… well, here we are."

Raven let out a huge breath at the end of her sentence, as if she hadn't exhaled the entire time. She looked anxiously at Starfire, wanting to know how she would react.

Starfire thought for a moment, then did the first thing to came to mind. She reached forward and wrapped Raven up in a hug. "I'm truly sorry that you've had to deal with this alone. I am very pleased that you told me, Raven."

"Thanks for listening Star."

The alien girl released Raven and stood up to leave. "Are you sure that you do not wish to tell the others as well? I know that they are also very concerned about you."

Raven thought for a moment, then looked up at Starfire. "I'm not ready to tell them all yet, but I will soon."

"All right. I will go now and leave you to your thoughts. But you will still join us for our viewing of the _Young Frankenstein_, yes?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Starfire couldn't help but smile at Raven's monotonous comment. That sounded like the old Raven.

* * *

Yep, another whole chapter for you guys. Are you glad that Raven finally told someone? It sure took long enough. Anyway, as usual I'll update as soon as possible, but I don't know when that will be... high school stinks, they just keep giving you homework. So, please review and tell me what you think. 


	10. Chapter 10

I hate school I hate schoole I HATE SCHOOL! Ok, that's out of my system now. I'm SO sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I've got SO much to do at the moment, and my schedule's only getting busier. (I've got SATs coming up! Wish me luck.)

Anyway, here's the next chapter, and I want to thank everyone for reviewing, I appreciate it.

* * *

It was 8:00 and everyone was getting ready to start the movie. Cyborg was in charge of snacks and was in the kitchen getting it all together, Starfire was helping with the drinks, and Beast Boy was trying to get Raven and Robin excited about the movie. 

"It's the _funniest_ movie you guys. You think it's gonna be scary or something, but then they'll say or do something hilarious. You just wait Raven, you'll laugh."

"I highly doubt that Beast Boy."

"Aw, come on. You'll try to hide it, but I know you'll laugh. No one can resist the urge to laugh when Gene Wilder's the main character." Beast Boy smiled big and winked at Raven… he could be so cocky at times.

Suddenly Cyborg and Starfire came out of the kitchen area holding trays of food and sodas.

"All right guys, this should last us at least until intermission. That is unless BB here decides to go crazy like the last movie night and hog all the liquorice…"

"Hey, I was hungry! …I missed dinner…" Beast Boy's voice trailed off and he looked down, as if the sheer memory of missing a meal was just too much to handle.

"Let's just start the movie." Robin was apparently getting agitated at the long delay. Everyone quieted down, and Robin turned to Beast Boy. "Beast Boy, you've got it, right?"

"Sure do!" Without even checking to make sure that no one was in his way, he leapt over the couch, grabbed the DVD, and ran over to the DVD player. "Ok guys, prepare yourselves to laugh harder than you've _ever_ laughed in your lives…"

* * *

Nearly two hours later, the movie had ended and people started heading off to their rooms. Starfire was walking with Raven, talking with her about the movie. 

"I thought that the cross-eyed man with the large lump on his back was most amusing! What did you think Raven?"

"Uh… ya Star, it was great."

The two girls then walked in silence down the hall, Starfire suppressing giggles the entire way. No doubt she was still thinking about some of the scenes from the movie. Raven was about to say something when she suddenly got a throbbing headache and her vision began to blur, but not as badly as it had before. She paused where she was, trying to regain her focus.

Starfire quickly realized that her friend was no longer beside her, and turned around to where Raven had stopped.

"Raven are you all right?" Starfire leaned in closer and saw that Raven's eyes were tightly closed. "Is that thing you were telling me about happening again?"

Raven could hear the concern in Starfire's voice, and she was glad that her friend was there.

"Yes… but I think I'll be OK if I could just sit down for a minute."

"Let me assist you." Starfire put Raven's arm around her neck and flew into the nearest room, which happened to be one of their many training rooms. The Tamaranian girl led her friend to a small couch that sat in the corner, and set her down.

"Thanks Star." Raven removed her hood and leaned her head back against the couch. She still felt like her head was swimming in circles, but she could feel the dizziness starting to subside. After about two minutes of sitting in silence, Raven opened her eyes and sat up, sighing.

"Are you feeling better now friend?" Starfire had been worried, but didn't want to speak and disturb Raven, so the whole time she waited she had been twisting and folding one of the pillows that were on the couch. Looking at it now, you could hardly tell that it had once been a pillow.

"My headache's gone for the most part now, and I'm not dizzy anymore. But I still have no idea what's wrong with me…"

Raven sat with her eyes glazed over, thinking once again about her problem. Then, disturbing her thoughts, Starfire gasped.

"I know! I have been reading up on earthly tales of fairies and other various creatures, and I am reminded of the one in which the young princess pricks her finger on a wheel of spinning and is put into a heavy sleep. You have also been made unconscious by whatever this is, correct?"

Raven just stared at her for a moment before speaking. Where _did_ she get all of her ideas?

"Well, ya, but in that story the princess stayed asleep."

Starfire's face dropped. "Oh…"

"Not to mention the fact that the evil sorceress had to enchant the spinning wheel in order to make the princess go to sleep."

"Well then, is it perhaps possible that this is some sort of enchantment?"

Raven turned to Starfire to counter the idea, when she realized that she had nothing to counter it with. It…_did_ seem like a possibility…

"But, who would have put a spell on me? And what for?"

Starfire paused in concentration, but was unable to think of an answer. "For that I have no idea."

"Well, it's worth looking into I guess… thanks Star, you've been a big help."

"I am most pleased to have helped you Raven. If you need anything else, just let me know."

Raven got up to leave and took a few steps forward before stopping. "Hey Starfire? Would you like to help me look into this tomorrow?"

"OH YES! I would be overjoyed to help you further in your searching!"

Starfire raced over to where Raven was standing and caught her in a tight hug that knocked the wind out of her. Realizing this, the redhead quickly released her friend and smiled.

"All right then, I'll see you tomorrow. We can go out after breakfast, is that OK?"

"Indeed it is. I shall see you then. Pleasant dreams Raven."

"You too Starfire."

With that, Raven turned back toward the door and left, heading back to her room to go to bed. If she was going to spend a whole day with Starfire, she was going to need to be well rested.

* * *

Again, I'm sorry it was so short. I was going to make it longer, but I didn't have time to write more. In fact, I have so little time that I'm neglecting my research project at this very moment in order to post this chapter. But anyway, I'll be working on the next chapter and post it as soon as I can, so in the mean time, review and tell me what you think so far. Thank you for reading yet another chapter of my story! 


	11. Chapter 11

Wow, another chapter up already... What can I say? I'm determined to get this story done. I don't know how much longer it will be, but every chapter I post, the closer I am to the end. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's not very exciting, but I think the next chapter will be better (I hope). Enjoy!

* * *

Raven had set her alarm clock for 6:00 in order to get an early start. After waking up, she brushed her teeth and took a hot shower to help wake her up and clear her mind. Then she towel dried her hair and ran a comb through it, leaving it perfectly straight, as usual. She walked back into her bedroom and grabbed a clean uniform out of her closet, quickly throwing it on. It was now 6:30. 

She left her room and headed for the kitchen. Herbal tea and a small bowl of cereal sounded like a great way to start the day off. As she entered the room she looked around and noticed that it was vacant.

_I guess no one's up yet._

Raven ate her cereal at the counter in silence, reading a newspaper to help pass time. Finally, at around 7:00 she heard the doors open.

"Raven? What are you doing up so early? Normally I don't see you around until 8:00."

Raven turned around on her stool to see Robin standing in the doorway staring at her.

"I just felt like waking up early for once. I've got things I need to do today, and I thought I'd get a head start."

Robin was now standing in the kitchen, pulling out some eggs from the refrigerator for an omelet. "Oh, well I just wasn't expecting to see anyone else up. I'm usually down here first."

Another thirty minutes passed before Starfire and Cyborg entered the room, closely followed by Beast Boy.

"Aaaaaahhh… morning Rae…" Cyborg said with a yawn. He rubbed his eyes and walked into the kitchen to start making his usual breakfast consisting of waffles. "Anyone else gonna want waffles?"

"I DO!" Beast Boy raced into the kitchen, nearly knocking down a chair in his path.

Robin looked up from his seat on the couch. "No thanks Cyborg, I already ate."

"Same here."

"Ok Star, that leaves you. You want any?"

"Oh, no thank you. I appreciate your offer, but this morning I wish to simply have toast. Raven and I are anxious to go out soon."

"Where are you guys going? I thought Raven had stuff to do."

Starfire looked over to the couch and met Robin's gaze, then turned to face Raven, who looked back at her from the corner of her eye. Did she say something she shouldn't have?

"Um… well, we have both been eagerly awaiting the opening of the new mall of shopping, but we have not yet had the chance to venture there and explore the new merchandise."

Everyone turned when Beast Boy let out a huge laugh. "_Raven_ wants to go to the mall? And has been _waiting_ for it to open? I never thought I'd see the day…"

"And you won't live to see another one if you don't shut up."

Beast Boy stopped laughing abruptly after seeing the refrigerator next to him suddenly become encased in a glowing black aura. "All right, I take it back!"

Starfire took it upon herself to end the silence that followed the near incident between Beast Boy and Raven. "Yes, I have been wanting to buy new clothing for the spring, and Raven offered to accompany me and give me her thoughts."

Beast Boy temporarily forgot his fear of the refrigerator, and once again spoke up. "But why ask for _Raven's_ opinion on spring clothes? Geeze, even _Cyborg_ would be better than- EEP!"

Starfire just stood and watched as a flying spatula chased the green changeling around the kitchen hitting him seemingly of its own accord.

"I wanted a girl's opinion, and I doubt that Cyborg would be more suited in that area."

"Ya, I wouldn't know what to say. I think everything looks good."

At that moment Starfire's toast popped up from the toaster with a small 'dinging' sound. She raced into the kitchen and buttered the bread quickly, then turned and flew around the other side of the counter, toast carried in her mouth, and grabbed Raven's arm, pulling her quickly from her seat as she headed out the door still clutching to her shocked friend's wrist.

"Oh, I cannot wait, we will have so much fun spending time together!"

The boys all stared at each other looking confused after their friends' departure.

It was Cyborg who made the first remark. "Did any of that seem weird to you?"

"Are you kidding me?" Yelled Beast Boy from the back of the kitchen, rubbing his arm where the dreaded spatula had dealt him one final blow. "How was Starfire able to talk with toast in her mouth?"

"Uhh… I don't think that's what Cyborg meant BB. But when Starfire's involved, things usually seem a bit off. I don't think we need to be concerned."

* * *

The girls exited the front doors of the tower and flew across the bay, landing on the nearby docks. 

"So Raven, where is it that you wanted to begin our search?"

The blue-cloaked heroine scanned the area around her, trying to decide which way to go.

"Well Star, to be honest I haven't thought about that yet. I was thinking that maybe we'd start by going to some of the local villains' hangouts and see what information we could get out of whoever's there. What do you think?"

"I think that is an excellent idea. You lead the way."

Raven lifted herself high up into the air and set off toward the center of the city, where most of the town's evildoers dwelled. Starfire followed close behind, mentally going over the possible situations they might find themselves in later that day. Dealing with criminals was no small feat, it took a real skill, and in some cases, a lot of luck.

They had only been flying for a couple minutes, when Raven quickly descended, landing quietly in a dark alleyway. Starfire, following Raven's example, set herself on the ground lightly so that she too didn't make any noise. She stood behind Raven, further into the alleyway, and waited for her friend to tell her what to do.

"Ok Star, you see that building across the street on the second floor that looks like a run-down jewelry store?"

Starfire, still not wanting to disturb the near-silence of her surroundings, simply nodded in response to Raven's question.

"Well, it's actually a place where some of the lower-class criminals go when they're trying to keep a low profile. Although I don't know why they still use it, since they know that the Titans know about it…"

"I was not aware of its location…"

Raven turned to look at Starfire. "Cyborg knows about it, at least. He and I came here after that incident with Slade's mask affecting Robin. We were hoping to get some information on who sent the signal that activated it, but we came up empty handed. And we didn't want Robin to know, obviously, so we kept it quiet."

"I see. I was not aware that you and Cyborg went to such places during your search."

"I thought he would have told you where we were going, but I guess he thought it was better if you didn't know, in case Robin found out that you were just keeping him busy while we were gone and asked you where we went."

"Perhaps that was for the best." Starfire returned her gaze the old building with its crumbling walls and rusted metal. "What were the people here that you dealt with like?"

"They were just a bunch of thugs, no real threat. I'd still be cautious if I were you, though, sometimes they get the higher criminals in there from time to time."

"Yes, I will indeed be careful. Are you ready to proceed?"

"All right, let's go. Just let me do the talking…"

* * *

Ok, you know the drill: I'll get the next chapter written and posted as soon as possible. But in the meantime, you can review and tell me what you think. Any constructive criticism? -I really do appreciate it if you have any. If you don't have any, that's ok too. You can just say what's on your mind. Thanks for taking your time on reading my story! 

(Oh, and I was wondering: I know that's it's possible, because I've seen it in other people's fan fics, but whenever I try to type a "!" right next to a "?" or another "!",it doesn't work, and just ends up posting one of them. Anyone know a way to get around that problem?)


	12. Chapter 12

Okay, I'm back again. Sorry, I would have posted one more chapter on Sunday, but I found that I'm beginning to feel the effects of the dreaded writer's block. Don't worry though, I'm working on it. Anyway, without furthur ado, chapter 12 of Ill Intentions:

* * *

The group of men sat around a small table, playing a high-stakes game of poker. The youngest of the group, somewhere in his mid-twenties, glanced at the others out of the corners of his eyes trying to read their expressions, but to no avail. They were just as blank as his own. He decided to play it safe and call the last person's bet, ending the gambling portion of the game. Now it was the moment of truth. 

Each person at the table laid down their hands in turn until finally it came down to him. He looked once again at the cards on the table; the hand to beat was a full house. He let out a sigh and slowly placed down his own hand, the others all watching with breaths held as the mystery of the game's outcome was revealed. Straight flush.

The man let his 'poker face' fall and showed a rather large smile. "Looks like my luck's finally turning around."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

The gamblers all turned to face the shadows in the corner of the dimly lit room, where they had been certain that the mysterious voice had originated. Although they now knew that someone was there, they were still surprised to see a dark figure emerge, cloaked from head to toe in dark blue and seemingly very threatening. Due to their shock and worry, they had completely overlooked the girl's companion, who was standing behind her in a purple uniform with a look of both curiosity and determination on her face.

"Scram!"

All of the players jumped up, flipping the card table in the process, and ran in different directions, even though there were only two exits in the room, one of which was being blocked by the two girls.

It wasn't long, however, before Raven used her powers to block the other door with a large hutch and pin most of the crooks to the walls with some type of furniture or other. The only one not trapped was the younger criminal who had just won the last hand, and Starfire was already making her way over to him to hold him in place personally while Raven 'did the talking'.

Starfire had grabbed the collar of his shirt and was now holding him firmly against a tall filing cabinet, which made several loud banging noises as the man struggled to break free from the alien's strong grip. Raven approached the man without saying a word and for added suspense slowly removed her hood, glaring at him the entire time. The strange actions were making him nervous and caused him to make a strange 'gulping' sound. Starfire had to give Raven credit. She could be so intimidating and powerful when she needed to be, and she was able to make even the toughest of villains flinch at one of her death glares.

"I believe that you're the one known as B.T.?"

"Y-yes… I-I am."

"And I take it you know who we are?"

"You're the Teen Titans. But honest, I've been clean for weeks, I haven't done nothin' wrong."

"Really? So then that's _not_ stolen money that you're gambling with over there?"

The young man looked over to the flipped table where poker chips, cards, and money was currently strewn all over the floor. He fidgeted in Starfire's hold and swallowed hard.

"Well, ok the money's not exactly _clean_, but no one got hurt, I'm not that kind of guy…"

"I'm willing to overlook the fact that you stole all of that money if you tell me what I want to know."

"S-sure… anything you want, it's yours. I'll tell you whatever you want."

"Who do you know of in town that performs magic?"

"You mean like that Mumbo guy? Well, gee, I don't know many magicians…"

"No, not that kind. I mean _real _magic, with heavy-duty spells and incantations."

"Well let's see… there's you, that pink-haired chick that's in the business, … I don't really know. I'm not that familiar with other people's work."

Raven used her powers to reach out and throw one of the wooden chairs hard against the opposing wall, causing it to explode into nothing but dust. "Are you sure you can't think of anyone else?" she growled through her teeth.

His eyes were wide open in fright as he thought about what would happen if he too were thrown against the wall at that force. "NO! I'm telling the truth! I don't really deal with people of higher talents, it causes unbalance in a job!" Raven took 'people of higher talents' to mean anyone with special abilities, those who the Titans were called in for to take down on a regular basis.

Starfire tightened her grip and pushed him against the cabinet with more strength, twisting his collar tighter in her hands. Raven inwardly smiled at Starfire's catching on to this game of intimidation. Now it was her turn. One more scare ought to do it. If he still didn't give her an answer, then he probably wasn't able to give her one, and it had just been a waste of her time. She threw her arms out at her sides, causing her cloak to billow out and settle behind her.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…"

As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Raven's eyes seemed to double and were now glowing red, but that was the least of the man's concerns. She was surrounded with black energy reaching out in all directions, making things it came into contact with break or explode on impact. The blackness continued to grow until it finally consumed the entire room, filling every space with its darkness.

"Wait! I think I might know someone like who you're looking for!"

Raven turned around to face the person that had spoken. It was one of the other men who was pinned against the wall with a couch, and who had up until then remained silent. Raven slowly let her powers fade out, and the room eventually went back to normal, creating a huge sigh from everyone else in the room.

"You know someone who's into heavy magic?" It was obvious from her tone that she wasn't in any mood to beat around the bush, and that she wasn't going to put up with any nonsense from them.

"Yah… I don't know where he is, but I've heard him mentioned a few times lately."

"What's his name?"

"I think he goes by 'the Archimage'."

There was a thick silence that suddenly engulfed the room and all of its inhabitants. All eyes were now turned in the direction of the man that had just spoken.

"That's all I wanted to know."

Raven turned toward Starfire and signaled for her to let the young man go. Not wanting to second-guess her friend's decision, she released his collar and watched as he fell to the floor with a small "oomph". Without looking back at those remaining in the room the two girls turned and left the building as quietly as they had entered.

Once they were outside again Raven began walking down the street deep in thought, Starfire following close behind.

"Raven, who do you suppose this 'Archimage' is?"

"I don't know Star, but I intend to find out… and soon."

"I see…"

They continued walking on in silence, with no apparent aim or destination. Starfire didn't want to interrupt Raven's thoughts, but she soon found herself anxious and unable to keep to herself.

"How 'soon' will you begin your search for this person?"

Raven looked up at her friend and noticed the suggestive smile on her face. Raven mentally sighed, knowing that she would later regret what she was about to say.

"I guess it could wait a little longer. Why?"

Starfire's eyes lit up like a child who realized that Christmas had come early. "Oh joyous! We can spend the evening at the mall and purchase wonderful new outfits! It will be most enjoyable!" The alien clasped her hands together and looked at Raven with big watery eyes and a grin from cheek to cheek.

She should have expected this, but then again, Starfire _had_ done her a huge favor by going with her, and she at least owed her one day of fun. Raven rolled her eyes and moaned. "All right…"

"Splendid!"

A second later the Tamaranian teen had taken flight and was heading in the direction of the mall, with her not-so-enthusiastic friend following behind.

* * *

Sidenote: Just as a point of interest, archimage is an actual word (for anyone who might not know) and is pronounced 'archi' as in architect, and 'mage' as in the word mage (kind of like magician, but with a hard "a" sound). I just thought I'd mention that for anyone out there like me, who doesn't like when they come across a word they can't pronounce. It means "A great magician or chief wizard". 

So, that's chapter 12 for you, and I'll get the next one out as soon as I can, but as usual I'm really busy. (I've got three huge long-term projects assigned right now, and SATs this saturday. :shudder:) So until next time!

Review please!


	13. Chapter 13

Okay, I'm back. Sorry it took SO LONG for me to update, but like I said before, I've been busy. I took the SATs yesterday... that's 5 hours of my life that I'll never get back. All that I really have to say about that is 'ew'. But I found some time today to write, so here's the next chapter. It's a little bit longer than my others, but not much.

Anyway, here's chapter 13. Enjoy!

* * *

"We have returned!" 

Starfire burst through the door into the living room, acknowledging the three boys that were present. Robin glanced up from his newspaper and Cyborg and Beast Boy paused their game to look over at the entrance, where Starfire was bouncing around, shopping bags in-hand, and where Raven had just now entered looking exhausted.

"Did you get the new clothes you wanted?" Cyborg asked, already knowing the answer after seeing all of the redhead's bags.

"Oh yes! Raven and I went to several stores, trying on things for hours! It was most enjoyable."

Without speaking, Raven walked over to the couch and let out a deep sigh before sitting down next to Beast Boy, closing her eyes and leaning her head against the back cushion.

Beast Boy quickly looked at Starfire, who was now emptying her bags to show everyone what she had bought, and turned back to face Raven. He leaned in a bit and whispered, "Something tells me _you _weren't too excited about being there for hours."

She opened her eyes and looked back at him sarcastically. "How could you tell?"

He laughed lightly at her tone, and then responded, "I'm psychic."

Beast Boy turned around to see what Starfire was showing them now, but then thought for a moment and turned back to Raven. "You're not the type who likes to be in crowded public places for that long."

"So?"

"Why didn't you just ask Starfire if you guys could leave early? She would have been fine with that, you know Star."

"I owed her a favor, so I kept all sarcastic and negative remarks to myself."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow and gave his friend an 'I-don't-believe-that-for-a-second' look.

Raven rolled her eyes and sighed. "Okay, fine. I may have let a few sarcastic comments slip, but other than that I was almost pleasant."

"Wow, it must have been one heck of a favor that you owed her if you tried to act pleasant."

Raven narrowed her eyes in a threatening way, causing Beast Boy to laugh nervously and scoot a few more inches away from her. "Sorry, you're tired, so you're probably not up for any of my jokes, huh?"

"Beast Boy, I'm _never_ in the mood to hear your 'jokes.'"

"Is this not the most beautiful dress you have ever seen?" Starfire yelled from the center of the room, causing everyone to turn toward her. She was holding up a long, fancy red dress and was spinning around. From what her friends were able to see of the dress while the Tamaranian girl was twirling, it had a strap that went behind the neck and was about floor-length. It was a dress that you might see someone wear to a prom, and it seemed like it would be very flattering on Starfire, hugging her figure nicely.

Everyone got up from where they had been sitting before and walked over to get a better look at the dress, with the exception of Raven, who merely got up and leaned against the backside of the sofa a good few yards away, keeping a safe distance between her and the awed onlookers.

Robin was the first person to say anything, since he was the only one who had been paying attention to Starfire's ranting, due to the fact that she had gotten to him first and dragged him over to her pile of new clothes. "That's… really pretty Starfire."

"Wow, it's nice." Cyborg said, picking up some of the fabric and looking at it closely.

"Yeah, Star. But where are you gonna wear it?" Beast Boy asked, now looking at the overjoyed girl in front of him.

"I do not know yet, but I thought that I should have a nice dress in the event that we go somewhere fancy."

Robin looked up from her many bags and boxes on the floor. There were just so many. "That's probably a good idea. You never know when something's gonna come up. Better to be on the safe side."

"So Raven, where's _your_ dress?" Beast Boy asked with a smirk on his face, trying to imagine Raven actually going through the process of trying on and buying a dress. "You want to be on the safe side too, don't you?"

She looked at him, obviously irritated, but to his surprise made no attempt at a threat or insult.

"Oh, Raven's dress is right here." Starfire said, handing a shocked Cyborg her own dress while leaning down to find the box she was looking for.

"What?" Beast Boy turned and just looked at Raven with his mouth open, waiting for her to say something contrary to what Starfire had just said, but her arms were folded across her chest and she seemed to be glaring at a spot on the rug over to her left.

"Here it is!" Starfire exclaimed, opening the box and pulling out a deep blue dress very similar to her own. "It is the same style as mine, but we decided to get different colors. I believe that the blue is most flattering on Raven."

"Wait, hold on a second." Beast Boy said, expecting someone to jump out and tell him that he was on some sort of hidden camera show. "You're telling me that _Raven_, as in _that_ girl right_ there_," he said pointing to her, "bought a dress while shopping with you?"

Cyborg and Robin were both standing there speechless, but turned their heads from one person to the next waiting for an explanation. They were glancing back and forth between Starfire and Beast Boy to hear what they had to say, occasionally looking over to Raven in disbelief.

"Um… yes?" replied Starfire, starting to feel awkward now, seeing all of the bewildered looks from her friends.

"But-… But-…"

"Let it go Beast Boy, before your head explodes," said Raven as she quietly stood up and walked passed the other Titans. Suddenly the blue dress that Starfire was holding and the box that was lying on the floor were surrounded in black and lifted into the air, following Raven out of the room. Before the door closed, the others were able to hear her add, "Thanks Starfire."

With the swooshing sound of the door, the room fell entirely silent for several seconds, no one sure what to say.

"Dude, that favor must have been HUGE if you got her to not only try on dresses, but to _buy_ one too!"

Starfire just looked at her green friend.

"What favor?"

Beast Boy turned toward Robin, who had asked the question. "Uh, Raven told me that she owed Star a favor, and that she repaid her today."

"Wow," said Cyborg, "BB's right, it must have been a pretty big favor."

"Why did she owe you a favor?" Robin asked, now addressing Starfire.

She looked like she was caught off guard with the question, and didn't know how to answer it.

"Um…" She hesitated, trying to think of a good excuse. "Oh yes. I have been assisting Raven whenever it has been her turn to do the chores, so as repayment, she went with me to the mall today for shopping." Robin raised an eyebrow, but before he was able to speak, she added, "She is not very good with the cleaning, so she asked for my help. But she did not want to bother anyone else."

"I've never noticed her having problems with the chores before."

Cyborg thought for a moment, then decided to give his opinion on the situation. "I'll bet that she just didn't want to have to do all the work by herself. I mean, the chores can take awhile to do, and Raven does get impatient sometimes."

"Oh man! So Raven's actually really lazy… We've figured out one of her dark secrets," said Beast Boy, rubbing his hands together with an evil look on his face. "Can you say, 'blackmail?'"

"Funny, I seem to recall a certain green Titan, who will remain nameless, that always tries to trick everyone else into believing that it's their turn to do the chores, just because _he's_ too lazy to do them himself."

Beast Boy looked at Cyborg and forced a laugh. "Can I help it if I have trouble remembering when it's my turn?"

"Uh-huh. Yet you never forget when it's time for one of your shows to be on."

Starfire watched her friends' conversation, but then decided that it was a good time for her to leave. If the others were talking about Raven's odd behavior, it was best if she wasn't there. She might accidentally let something slip. "I am going to go and put all of my new belongings in my room now." Everyone watched as she somehow managed to pick up all of the bags and packages from the floor, with her red dress lying on top of everything. As she walked up the few steps to the door, she turned around and added, "I will see you all shortly for dinner."

Cyborg turned away from the door, and was now facing the other two boys again. "It's a good thing Starfire has that super strength, otherwise it would have taken her forever to take all of her stuff to her room."

"With _her_ enthusiasm and excitement, I'll bet she could have carried everything in one trip even if she didn't have all that strength. You know how much Starfire likes new clothes," said Robin, still glancing at the door.

There was another moment of silence, when was ended with a sudden laugh from Beast Boy. "Oh man, Robin! You _have_ to have the Titans make an appearance at a dinner party or something, just so that Raven has to wear that dress! The look on her face would be priceless!"

"You mean the look that she would give me right before she murdered me? I don't think so, BB."

"Yeah… you're probably right. She'd kill everyone in the city before she showed up wearing a dress. It was worth a try, though."

Cyborg left his two friends in the living room and walked into the kitchen area. "Okay, so what do ya'll want for dinner?"

* * *

So what did you think? It's not too action-packed or anything special, so again, my apologies. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I find time, but again, it could be a little while. I'm so busy right now that I don't even have time to celebrate my birthday this week... I have to wait until the weekend. Isn't that terrible? 

Anyway, thanks for reading, and reviewing (:cough:hint:cough:)


	14. Chapter 14

Wow, in the words of a friend of mine, it's been "forever and a day" since I last updated it seems. I truly am sorry. I'm having trouble finding time to get stuff done nowadays. My sister came home for spring break for a week, then I had to work on two group projects and two big individual projects, then I got sick (and I still am), and whenever I _did_ have free time, my dad was on the computer. Argh, I hate sharing computers with your family.

I want to say a quick thank you to everyone who's reviewed and read this story, it means a lot to me that anyone would find what I write interesting enough to read. And I also want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday. Even though I had to celebrate it late and everything, I still had a lot of fun.

Anyway, without further delay, here's chapter 14 of Ill Intentions:

* * *

Raven was sitting on the edge of her bed reading a book, her dress lying next to her on top of her bedcover. Finally, she closed the book and set it down on her nightstand, then picked up the dress and headed over to her closet to hang it up. Opening the door, Raven realized how out of place the dress seemed next to all of her cloaks and leotards. Being a superhero you really didn't get to have a varying wardrobe. The only other clothes that she owned, really, were some sweats and workout clothes in a drawer in the back. She took another look at her dress and sighed. 

_Well, if you go out with Starfire, you're bound to do things that you wouldn't consider normal._

After putting the dress on a hanger, Raven slid the door closed and walked back to her bed. She reached over to the nightstand to pick up the book that she had been reading earlier, but then paused. She didn't really feel like reading anyway. With another sigh, the dark teen turned around and collapsed onto her bed, sinking into the soft comfort of her pillows. When was the last time that she felt truly rested? She couldn't remember, but it had certainly been awhile.

Raven stayed like that for several minutes, curled up in her warm, soft bed, feeling relaxed and as if none of her problems existed. She was just about to drift to sleep when there was a sudden knock at the door.

_Ugh… Why are all good moments ruined by someone interrupting?_

Raven stood up and went to go answer the door. She was in a bad mood now, and she intended to let the person who disturbed her peace know it. The next moment the door flew open with a quick wave of black energy, revealing a somewhat startled-looking Robin.

"Oh, hey Raven. I just wanted to let you know that dinner was ready." He seemed to be a little bit nervous, sensing his friend's anger, but managed himself pretty well given the situation. "Um, did I interrupt something?" His eyebrow was slightly raised, and he was trying to read her expression. Noticing her scowl, he quickly added, "If I did, I'm sorry."

Raven felt herself calm down a little bit. It wasn't really his fault, and he _did_ look like he felt badly about disturbing her. "It's fine, I was just resting."

"Oh, well if you want to go back to sleep we'll save you some dinner in the fridge."

"No, it's all right. I don't think I could go back to sleep now anyway. What's for dinner?"

"Cyborg made pork chops, and Beast Boy made tofu spaghetti."

Raven stared at him blankly for a moment before speaking. "How do you make tofu spaghetti?"

Robin lightly shrugged his shoulders as Raven stepped out of her room, the door closing quietly behind her. "Beats me. I think he just used tofu in the sauce instead of meat, but I'm not really sure."

The two Titans walked down the hallway in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts, Raven still pondering the concept of tofu spaghetti. How on earth had they survived all this time living with a strict vegetarian in the Tower? It was a miracle, that's what it was.

Dinner passed quietly enough, not much conversation or anything else out of the ordinary, with the exception of Beast Boy's occasional stifled laughing. Raven glanced over at him each time he did this, and watched as he quickly quieted himself. He didn't need to look up to know that Raven was glaring at him.

When everyone had finished eating, Starfire and Beast Boy began taking the leftover food into the kitchen. Raven was just about to stand up and help them when Robin opened his mouth to speak.

"So Raven, Starfire told us earlier that you repaid that favor to her by going with her to the mall."

Raven suddenly became very still, obviously not expecting that, but managed to regain her composure after a moment, trying to think about how to get herself out of whatever mess Robin was about to get her into.

"Oh, she told you about that?" Maybe if she answered him with a question, he would keep talking so that she didn't have to. It had worked for her on several occasions in the past, so maybe it would work this time too.

Cyborg was still sitting at the table, listening to his teammates' conversation. He glanced up at Robin, wondering why he was bringing up this subject, when he noticed Robin's look. He seemed casual and everything, but if you knew Robin like the Titans did, you knew that that was the look Robin had when he knew he was about to win. But what was he trying to win from Raven?

"Yeah, she said she helped you rearrange some furniture in your room awhile ago, so you owed her for that. Is that right?"

Cyborg was about to open his mouth to tell Robin about his mistake when he suddenly realized what his friend was doing. He was trying to get Raven to unknowingly confess that she and Starfire had been lying and keeping a secret from them. Quickly looking around for Starfire, Cyborg guessed that she and Beast Boy were still in the kitchen storing the leftovers.

"No one else was around to help me, so Starfire gladly volunteered." Raven said it in an off-hand way, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. This was definitely not a conversation she wanted to be having.

Breaking her thoughts, she heard the sound of Robin's chair scraping the ground as he stood up from his chair.

_Finally we can leave._

Raven was about to stand up herself when she realized that Robin was walking over to her instead of toward the kitchen like she had thought. This confused her, and she was starting to get a little bit nervous.

"What're you-"

"-You know Raven," Robin interrupted, putting his hand lightly over her mouth to stop her from talking as he kneeled down next to her chair, "you're a really bad liar."

Raven just stared at him in defeat. Once again she began feeling guilty, noticing his look of disappointment in her.

Beast Boy walked back into the room with Starfire right behind him, but stopped when his eyes fell upon the strange sight in front of him: Raven looking like she had just been backed into a corner, and Robin kneeling next to her taking his hand off her mouth.

"Um… what's going on?"

Robin looked up at his friends that had just entered, but then focused solely on Starfire.

"Starfire, now tell me the _truth_, why did Raven owe you a favor?"

All eyes were now focused on the young Tamaranian, making her feel very uncomfortable. "As I told you earlier Robin, I assisted her with the chores."

Beast Boy had quietly made his way back over to the table, and was now seated next to Cyborg. The green Titan leaned over and whispered to his friend, "Can _you_ tell me what's going on here?"

Cyborg leaned over and whispered back, "Robin just caught the girls in a lie that seems to be centered around Raven."

Robin stood up, obviously irritated, and sat down in the nearest chair, motioning that Starfire do the same. As soon as all of them were sitting, Robin addressed the team. "Looks like we've got some things to talk about, Titans."

* * *

Okay, now as I said before, I've been having a bit of trouble finding time to write, and my schedule's not going to get any better soon. I promise that I'll try to find time to write again soon, but if my chapters end up being spaced out, you'll know why. I promise I won't forget about this story! I want to get it done, and I'm determined to do so. 

Oh, and don't forget to review if you can, it gives me a lot of motivation to continue the story and to try and _make_ time to continue it. I love to hear from you all.


	15. Chapter 15

Okay, here's chapter fifteen for you guys, I hope you enjoy :)

* * *

A full minute had gone by in complete silence, everyone looking at Raven expectantly, with the exception of Starfire, whose head was down in shame. Raven sat silently glaring down at the table in front of her, arms crossed. She wasn't going to be the first to talk, no way would she give in. If they wanted something, _they_ could talk first. Having a lifetime of practice when it came to being emotionless and patient, Raven could have sat there all night without making a single sound if she wanted to. 

Without lifting her head to look at Raven, Starfire finally broke the silence when she mumbled in a weak, sad voice, "I am truly sorry Raven, I did not mean for this to happen. I understand if you can no longer trust me…"

Raven stopped staring at the table and looked at her friend. "Star, it's not your fault. If anything, it's my fault that all of this happened. I got myself into this mess, and I should have seen this coming." Starfire's expression remained downcast after her words, however, so after another moment Raven added, "And of course I still trust you."

"Okay, now that we've got all of our 'feelings' cleared up, do you mind getting to the point Robin?" an impatient Beast Boy asked their leader. He was still a little bit confused as to what was going on, and wanted to hurry up and get it out in the open all ready.

"Raven's been keeping secrets, and she needs to tell us." He left it at that, short and simple.

"You all have secrets too, why should mine be so important?" She knew that she should tell them what had been going on lately, but at the moment she didn't really feel like obliging. She felt like fighting the conversation as much as possible, in her own subtle way.

This time it was Cyborg who spoke. "C'mon Rae, you know this isn't the same kind of secret. If it was, you wouldn't be so defensive and difficult right now."

"That's nothing new, I'm always defensive and difficult. Ask Beast Boy, he says it all the time."

Beast Boy sat up sharply, surprised at hearing his name mentioned, and blushed slightly. "Don't bring me into this."

Raven merely shrugged and mumbled, "Well I got dragged into this against my will too…"

"Rae, don't blame us, you got yourself into this."

Raven looked up to meet Cyborg's gaze, glaring slightly. She wasn't expecting him to be on _her_ side exactly, but she didn't really think that he'd be a part of Robin's interrogation either.

"I don't want to deal with this right now." Raven slid her chair back and began to stand up. "I'm actually really tired, so I'll be in my room-"

"-Sit down Raven," Robin said calmly, which only angered her further.

Raven paused, still standing in front of the table with everyone just staring at her. She couldn't stand this anymore. "I don't _want_ to sit down! I don't _want_ to talk about my problem! Why can't you let me deal with it on my own? It's not hurting any of you, and I'm all ready making progress with it! And it's not like I'm completely alone here, Starfire knows, and she's helping me with it!" As she yelled, several things around the room exploded, but nothing too threatening or dangerous, so the Titans ignored it and let their friend finish.

Robin and the others were also standing at this point. "Raven, it's hurting _you_, and that's all that matters."

Raven could feel her powers nearing the edge, so she was constantly chanting in her mind trying to keep calm, but she was unable to keep her emotions down. Her head was beginning to hurt again, and if she wasn't careful, something bad was bound to happen. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Her eyes were closed tightly and she could feel herself begin to sweat. She had to keep her focus. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

The others all paused, taking notice of Raven's odd behavior.

"Raven, do you need assistance?" Everyone turned their head toward Starfire as she spoke. She was looking intently at Raven, worry evident on her face.

"…Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

"Star, why would Raven need assistance?" Beast Boy asked, beginning to look concerned as well.

While the others were looking to Starfire for answers, Robin returned his focus to Raven. She was becoming slightly pale, and her quiet chanting had taken on a desperate tone.

"…Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…" Raven's mind was once again throbbing, and she felt like her body was being slowly drained of all substance and replaced by Jell-O. She was starting to lose her sense of balance again. If she could just open her eyes she would have sat down, but the light in the room was too much for her headache.

"Raven?" Robin had taken a step forward and was now reaching out slowly toward her, not wanting to startle her with any sudden movements.

"…Azarath…Metrion…"

Robin's hand finally came into contact with Raven's arm, but the second it did she seemed to gasp in pain as she closed her eyes more tightly and grit her teeth. Her body suddenly tensed, and it seemed like she was trying to keep from screaming.

Everyone was worried now and stared silently at their friend, unsure of what to do. Alarmed by her near-silent whimpering, Robin stepped up to Raven and put his arm around her waist trying to keep her steady. The second she felt him standing there, Raven leaned against him for support, unable to keep herself balanced any longer.

Robin listened to her quick, painful breathing and felt her hand grip the material of his shirt as she tried to get past whatever pain she was feeling. She was trembling terribly, so he put both of his arms around her and slowly lowered her to a sitting position on the floor.

"Raven, you're bleeding…" Robin reached up and grabbed a napkin from the nearby table and wiped away the small trail of blood that was dripping down from her mouth.

The others were all gathered around where she sat now, watching as she seemed to calm back down, her breathing returning to its normal rhythm.

"Raven, are you okay?" Beast Boy asked, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder.

"I-" she began, but then stopped. She didn't know what to say. 'Yeah, I'm fine'? 'Well, now that you asked, I think something's wrong with me'? This was definitely not how she hoped this conversation would go.

The others all stared at her, waiting for an answer to Beast Boy's question, until they finally began to get agitated with her continued silence.

"Why is it so hard for you to tell us what's wrong?"

Raven looked up at Robin, who had spoken, then at the faces of all of her friends. They all looked so scared.

I should probably just tell them. I've put them through so much all ready, and they deserve to know.

She took a long breath to calm her nerves before she spoke. "I've been getting really bad dizzy spells for the last few weeks, and I didn't want to tell you because… I was scared."

"How bad have your dizzy spells been?" Cyborg asked, relieved that this conversation was actually going somewhere now.

"Well, they're the reason I got into all that trouble when we fought Cinderblock and when I was on the obstacle course with Robin. They haven't all been that bad though, sometimes I just get a really bad headache and need to sit down for awhile."

"Do you always bleed when this happens?" Robin asked, obviously still a bit upset that they were just now finding this out.

Raven slowly reached up and touched her lips, where there was still a little blood remaining. "No, this is the first time… It's never _hurt_ like that before." Her voice trailed off at the end as if she were deep in thought, and the others could tell that she was just as scared as they were.

Beast Boy looked away from Raven and turned to Starfire, who had so far pretty much stayed quiet. "So Star, what _was_ the favor that Raven owed you?"

Starfire looked up at Beast Boy, then the others, before quietly answering, "I accompanied her on the search for the cause of her ailment."

"Did you guys find anything?" Cyborg asked, now addressing Starfire as well.

"We learned that there is a new criminal in the city called Archimage who deals with different magics. We believe that he may be behind this."

"What makes you think that this Archimage guy did this to Raven?"

"Well, we cannot yet be certain, but today we also discovered that the Archimage has made deals with several other criminals, including Dr. Light."

This time it was Robin who spoke. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because," Raven responded, "it was just after the fight with Dr. Light that I started feeling strange."

There was a long silence between the group, each person thinking about their last encounter with the light-obsessed villain and the situation at hand.

"Raven, why don't you go get some rest now," Robin said, breaking the silence.

"But, don't you have more questions or something?" she asked, surprised that he was letting her off the hook so easily.

"No, you've been through a lot, and I don't want you overexerting yourself right now. The rest of us will track down Dr. Light while you're sleeping and see what we can find out about this. All right?"

Raven stared at the others for a moment, not sure whether she should accept their offer to help or not. But they all seemed to genuinely care. She should have told them a lot sooner.

"Do you promise to let me know if you find something?" she asked, still a bit uneasy at the idea of them dealing with her problem while she just stayed home and slept.

"We shall let you know what we discover as soon as we return Raven." Starfire gave her friend a reassuring smile, making Raven feel a little more comfortable.

"All right, I guess…" Raven said quietly, more to herself than to the others. They all sat there quietly until Raven finally stood up from the floor with a bit of help from Beast Boy, and with a small "thank you," left the room.

Robin turned and addressed the remaining Titans in the room. "Ok team, you know what we need to do, so let's get to it and start looking for Dr. Light."

Without a moment's pause, the others all nodded in unison and began about their work.

* * *

So what do you think about the story so far? I hope you enjoyed it. I'm kind of in a rush right now, so I'll say this quickly: My spring break is just now starting (and about time), and I'm going to be gone for a week. When I get back I have to focus more on school again, so it might be a little while before I'm able to write the next chapter, but I'll do it as soon as I can. Anyway, that's all, and thanks for reading my story. Don't forget to review!


	16. Chapter 16

Um, I feel really bad about how long it's taken me to write this chapter. Sorry? I _could_ give you a very detailed account of why I wasn't able to write anything the first three and half weeks since my last chapter, but you'd probably get bored. As for the last week and a half, every time I sat down at the computer, I just ended up staring at a blank screen. Darn writer's block. Curse you!

But if anyone's still interested in this story, I now give you chapter 16. Enjoy!

* * *

After a few hours of uneasy sleep, Raven woke up and walked into the main room, hoping that the others were back from their search for Dr. Light. She was disappointed, however, when the door slid open to reveal an empty room. 

_They've been gone for a while now. Shouldn't they be back already?_

Raven turned to look at the clock. -Just past four hours since they left. Maybe they were just having trouble tracking the man down; there was no need to be concerned yet. But even though Raven knew that a job like this could take several hours to do, and sometimes still couldn't be done, she still couldn't help but be nervous. Her friends were doing this for _her_, and she wasn't even there to help them in case they got into trouble.

To help take her mind off of the quiet tower and its missing inhabitants, Raven walked over to the chair where Starfire had left her most recent fairytale book: _Little Red Riding Hood_. It definitely wasn't her style of literature, but right now she didn't really have a preference, so she picked up the small book and began reading.

She had just gotten to the part where Little Red Riding Hood was talking to the wolf dressed in her grandmother's clothes (_Wow this girl's stupid,_ Raven thought. _Can't she even tell the difference between her grandmother and a wild animal?_), when the door opened and the other four Titans entered.

"…but we still do not know _why_ he did it," Starfire told Beast Boy as they walked through the door.

Raven set down the book and looked up at her friends. "How did it go?"

Cyborg sat down in a chair near where Raven was sitting, while the others all went over to the sofa.

Her half-robotic friend looked up at her tiredly. "It wasn't quite as helpful as we hoped it would be, but we _did_ get some information out of Dr. Light."

A small ray of hope had suddenly appeared on the situation, and Raven couldn't help but feel a little relieved. "So, you were able to find Dr. Light?"

"Yeah, he was hiding out in some abandoned motel near the bay," Robin answered from the couch. "And you were right about that Archimage guy being responsible for whatever's going on with you."

Raven had about a million different questions running through her mind that she wanted to ask, but she could only have one answered at a time. Better to start with the more important questions. "What did he say about the Archimage?"

"Well," Cyborg began, leaning forward in his chair, "when we first started questioning him, he said he didn't know anyone by that name. But after a little bit of persuasion, we got him to start talking, but he still wasn't telling us everything."

"But what we _did_ find out," Robin continued, "is that the Archimage and him were working together, but not very closely. They made some kind of deal where the Archimage helped Dr. Light fight against us, but we don't know what _he_ got from the deal in return. So far, our only guess is that the Archimage helped Dr. Light in hopes that we would lose in a fight, and then we'd be out of the way for whatever he was planning to do."

Raven was listening intently, taking in all of this information. "But what does this have to do with what's happening with me?"

This time it was Starfire who answered her question. "It seems that the Archimage placed some manner of spell on Dr. Light's light cannon. The spell was created to only take effect on you, so it did not affect any of us."

Starfire was staring at Raven with a look of unmistakable guilt on her face. She didn't think it fair that she was fine, while her friend was not.

"So…" Raven began, "this spell just hurt me then?"

Robin shifted on the couch and turned to face her. "We don't know why, but for some reason this guy's main target was you. He's obviously got some kind of a plan here… but what?" The last part was said more to himself than anyone else.

"Maybe he saw Raven as the biggest threat?" Beast Boy offered, speaking up for the first time in the conversation.

Everyone looked thoughtful for a moment, but the silence was soon ended when Starfire responded. "Perhaps. Raven _is_ quite powerful…"

"Tell me about it," said Beast Boy. "You do _not_ want to be on the other end of one of her attacks. Take it from someone who knows."

Ignoring the green Titan's remark, Robin stood up and began pacing. "I understand if _Dr. Light_ wanted Raven out of the way, because he's terrified of her. But something still seems off…"

"Yeah," added Cyborg, "like why someone we've never met would single one of us out. He's definitely got something in mind."

"Perhaps he is merely trying to-" Starfire was cut off mid-sentence as the large computer screen began flashing, alerting them of an incoming message.

Everyone turned toward the screen as Robin hit the "ACCEPT " button, and a man's face appeared on the large glass, long and pale, and half-hidden in shadow.

"Who are you?" Robin asked, though he had a feeling that he already knew who the man was.

A smirk suddenly appeared on the man's ominous face. "I'm the one you've been looking for recently. Word spreads quickly in this city, Titans. Did you think I wouldn't know when someone was going around mentioning my name?"

"Archimage…" Starfire seemed to growl the name. The man then turned his attention to her and smiled as he saw her eyes narrow in anger.

"Ah, so you _do _know who I am. I'm very pleased."

"You hurt my friend, and for that I assure you that you will pay dearly."

Raven couldn't help but look over at Starfire. She was always so happy and positive. Raven had never seen her take on such a dark, loathing tone.

"What are you planning Archimage?" Robin asked, returning to leader-mode. They needed to get the facts first.

"Well, I was hoping that we could have a sort of get-together later tonight."

Beast Boy stepped forward and cocked an eyebrow. "Dude, we're not stupid. We know a trap when we see one. You must be new to the whole 'super villain thing' if you think we'd fall for that one."

This only made the pale man grin even wider. "I never had any intention of tricking you into coming. Of course it's a trap. That's perfectly obvious."

The other Titans stared silently at the screen, confusion evident on their faces.

"Then… why did you think we would go if we _knew_ it was a trap?" Cyborg asked, stating the question that his teammates all had on their minds.

"Because if you don't come, then your friend's problem will only get worse." The Titans broke their gaze away from the man's face and turned to face Raven, as if expecting her to have another 'episode' right then. She merely glared back at the man, wishing that he were in front of her at that very moment so that she could get even with him. So this was all just some sort of game?

The teenage heroes remained silently staring at their blue-cloaked friend until the Archimage spoke up again, drawing their attention once again to him.

"You _have _noticed that your attacks have become more intense, haven't you Raven?" Raven thought back to just earlier that evening at dinner, as did the rest of the team.

_- Robin looked at her concerned. "Do you always bleed when this happens?" It took her a moment before she was able to respond. "No, this is the first time… It's never _hurt_ like that before." -_

Raven was pulled out of her thoughts when the Archimage scoffed at the pensive looks on their faces.

"What good will this meeting do?" Robin asked, once again returning to business.

"It will give you a chance to take me down and possibly save your friend before she gets any worse." This sentence caused everyone in the room to tense up instantly. Was their friend really in that much danger?

Robin crossed his arms over his chest as he thought about everything the man had said, and decided what needed to be done. "When and where?"

"Meet me in half an hour at the old run-down stadium on the south side."

Robin turned his head and looked at the members of his team, then turned back to the screen. "We'll be there."

Without saying another word, the Archimage reached down and hit a button, ending the transmission. Once the screen had shut off Robin lowered his head and sighed, and the others all stared at him waiting for a command.

"You guys up for a midnight battle?" Robin asked, an exhausted tone in his voice.

"Oh yeah, _so_ ready," Beast Boy spoke up for the team. "This guy's going _down_."

"All right then," their leader continued. "Starfire, I want you to fly a little bit ahead of us so you can warn us if you see anything suspicious, while Beast Boy, Cyborg and I go in the T-car."

"And where do I fit into all of this?" Raven asked, noticing that she wasn't included in his plan.

"I want you to stay here, out of harm's way."

Raven simply stared at him as if he were delusional. The others began to look uncomfortable and shifted slightly.

"Yes Raven, perhaps it would best if you did not accompany us tonight."

Raven now turned her incredulous look to her alien friend. "Are you kidding me? You expect me to just sit here while you guys go after this person?"

"Raven-" Cyborg was cut off by Raven before he even got the chance to say what he was thinking.

"No. I already stayed here today while the rest of the team went after Dr. Light. I'm not missing out on another fight."

The entire team was now looking at Robin for a decision.

"Raven, we don't even know what exactly this spell of his did to you. It's not safe for you to go with us."

Raven took a few steps toward the masked Titan. "Robin, if the circumstances were switched, and it was _you_ that had the spell on you, would you stay at the Tower?"

Several seconds passed as the two Titans stared silently at each other, both stubborn and not wanting to back down.

"Well," Beast Boy suddenly said, "looks like Raven wins. Let's go."

The masked teen looked at Beast Boy and let out an irritated sigh. "Fine, Raven can come. Titans go!"

* * *

All right, there you have it. Chapter 16. Again, it'll be awhile before I post the next chapter (although I seriously doubt it will be as long as it was for me to get _this_ one posted), because in a week I'm going to be out of state for a few days, and then I have a ton of major group projects. (What _is_ it with my teachers and group projects? And at the END of the school year?) Sorry for the same old excuses and stuff, but I swear they're the truth. 

But enough of this stuff. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'd love it if you reviewed. Here's a tip: If I get a review, it really does encourage and motivate me to write. Thank you :)


	17. Chapter 17

Hello everybody. I'm really trying to work on this story as much as I can, but I don't really have that much free time at the moment. This chapter is definitely a lot shorter than I would have liked, but I thought I should go ahead and post it instead of keeping you waiting longer. So, here's chapter 17 for you. Enjoy.

* * *

The car ride down to the old stadium was a quiet one. Robin and Raven were deliberately not talking to each other or making eye contact, both still somewhat annoyed at their earlier dispute, and Beast Boy and Cyborg were silent because of the tension coming from the other two. They had been driving for about ten minutes when Robin's communicator suddenly went off. Everyone looked at their leader in the passenger seat as he picked up the device and flipped it open.

"Did you find anything Starfire?"

It was a few seconds before the voice of their Tamaranian friend was heard coming from the other end of the line.

"No Robin, I do not see anything unusual around the stadium."

Cyborg glanced over at Robin to speak after he stopped at a red light. "But we know that he's there. He went through a lot of trouble to make sure we came, he wouldn't just not show up."

Robin remained silent, thinking it all over. "Stay there Starfire, we'll be there in a few minutes. But don't go near the building yet, wait for the team."

"Yes Robin."

Starfire's transmission ended and Robin flipped the communicator shut.

"So…" Beast Boy began, "at least it looks like there won't be anything _outside_ the stadium that we need to worry about. That's good."

The green Titan caught a quick glare from Raven and dropped the attempted smile on his face. "I just meant that it could be worse."

Raven let out a sigh and turned to stare out her window. "Are we there yet Cyborg?"

"Just about. Why, are you anxious to kick this guy's butt?" A teasing smile came to his face, which only widened as he saw the look she gave him from the rear view mirror.

Raven once again turned to stare out the window and watched as the street lamps blurred past the speeding T-car.

_I knew I should've flown. _

* * *

Four minutes later the T-car turned into the empty parking lot and stopped. The four Titans exited the vehicle and met on the side nearest the building. 

"You guys ready?" Cyborg asked.

Robin began looking around. "Wait for Starfire."

The teens waited until their friend spotted the car and flew over to join them. "Are we to begin?"

"All right, everyone be careful."

The Titans quietly made their way over to one of the indoor stadium's many entrances where they all stopped. Robin motioned to Beast Boy, who nodded and stepped forward. The next second all the other Titans could see was a small green bee fly into the dark entryway and return a few seconds later. Beast Boy changed back to his normal form and once again nodded, informing the others that it was clear.

They walked through the doorway and snaked their way along the inside wall, feeling their way through the darkness until their eyes were able to adjust. Soon they were all able to make out each other's silhouettes and they continued walking down the hall, following the person in front of them.

A short distance later they passed a small window that looked into the interior of the stadium. Robin and the others leaned in close and strained their eyes to try and see something, but all they saw was a very large empty room with a small bit of rubble from where a part of the ceiling had collapsed, giving the room it's only source of light.

The young heroes stepped away from the window and looked around them. They would continue down the hallway until they had searched the entire floor, and if they didn't find anything then they would just go up to the next one. The Archimage had to be somewhere nearby.

The first floor hallway turned out to be a bust, however. Nothing was there. The Titans all looked at each other, disappointment and frustration evident on their faces, and nodded in agreement as Robin pointed upward, indicating that they should search the second floor now. They had just stepped into the dark central stadium to find the nearest staircase leading up to the second level when the lights of the stadium suddenly came on, temporarily blinding the Titans, whose eyes had become used to the darkness.

"Ah, I see you came after all. I was beginning to think that you didn't care about your friend's condition."

Looks of pure hatred crossed the team's faces as they spun around to see a man in the distance walking toward them. He wore a black floor-length robe with intricate red designs sewn into it, and a red-cuffed collar that was startlingly noticeable next to his short blond hair. The Titans quickly readied themselves and got in their fighter stance positions.

"And ready to fight as always. Isn't that sweet?" The Archimage stopped in the center of the room and began laughing. "Do you really think you can beat me? A bunch of naive teenagers?"

"You're not giving us enough credit," Beast Boy responded. "We've defeated tons of villains before."

The Archimage only laughed more. "You mean people like Dr. Light? Or Mumbo perhaps? Please, they're pathetic, not worthy of being called criminals. Beating them is not something to brag about, take my word for it."

"I'm surprised you could fit inside the building with that huge ego of yours. You're about to lose, Archimage." Robin pulled out his bo staff and twirled it before taking a step forward and readying himself to spring at any moment.

The black-robed man smirked, with a tint of evil satisfaction glinting in his honey-colored eyes. "So then why don't you come over here and prove yourselves?" The Archimage then threw his arms out, sending a huge electric energy bolt flying toward the band of heroes.

But with their countless hours of training and all of their experience, their reflexes had become well toned and they were able to dodge the attack. All of them in turn began sending their own attacks at him, but he too had exceptional reflexes and came out without a scratch.

Starfire hurled one of her starbolts at the villain, which he managed to sidestep at the last second.

"You Titans have no idea what you're up against."

Robin's face was set in determination, unwilling to let the man's words faze him. "You might be able to dodge attacks from a distance, but let's see how well you do when we're close up."

The team began charging forward, closing the distance between them and their foe. Raven was staring intently at the man as she flew forward, but something suddenly caught her eye and caused her to halt. On the ground beneath him was a marking that she recognized from one of her books, and that could only mean one thing.

"Wait!" No one seemed to hear her. She had to warn her friends before they fell into his trap. "Don't go any closer to him!"

The team quickly came to a complete stop less than ten feet away from their target. Beast Boy and Starfire turned around to face Raven to see what was wrong, while Robin and Cyborg kept their eyes on the enemy.

"You guys, get away from him! Get out of here, it's a trap!" Raven had a desperate look of concern and fear mixed on her face.

The Archimage gave a quick knowing smile to Raven and let out a mocking laugh. Then without warning he leapt forward toward the others. Robin held out his bo staff to block the man's attack as Cyborg shot his sonic canon directly at his chest. The blast, however, went straight through him, and then the figure disappeared altogether.

Cyborg's arm fell to his side as confused looks came to all of their faces.

"He's an astral projection," Raven began, "that wasn't actually hi-"

She was unable to finish her sentence, as a bright light suddenly seemed to explode from the center of the room. Huge walls of light shot out in all directions, eventually coming together to form a box of energy sealing the Titans inside. Things had taken a turn for the worse.

The young heroes remained where they were, but were scanning all around them for a possible way out of this predicament, so far unable to find one. Then there was a loud, ground-shaking laugh that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

Raven had been hovering at this top of the newly formed energy prison trying to blast her way out. She gave up her attempt at escape as the laughing began and turned in the air to fly and join her friends, when suddenly a new wall shot across the room in front of her, cutting her off from the rest of the team. Now she was alone.

* * *

Okay, that's all for this chapter. Again, I apologize for it being short (although looking at past chapters it's actually a bit longer). I'm working on making chapters longer and more descriptive, but it'll be awhile before I'm really able to do that, but they say that practice makes perfect, so what they hey! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully I'll be able to get the next one posted soon, but it's unlikely. This is my last school week before finals, and the day after school gets out my family's going to Mexico for a week. I'll try my best to find time to write the next chapter before I leave, but no guarantees. Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review!


	18. Chapter 18

Hey, I'm back... heheh. Sorry it took so long, but I actually only had a few weeks this entire summer where either I wasn't out of town, or we didn't have different family member visiting. And you know what I found out during those few weeks of actual free time I had? That apparently my creative juices stop flowing entirely over summer break. It's a miracle really that I was even able to write this chapter. I guess if I'm not writing things against my will in school, I have no motivation to write things thatIwant to write on my own. Anyway, sorry for the incredibly long delay, but here's chapter 18. (Lol, although I bet no one really even remembers what my story was about anymore. Sorry, my bad!)

* * *

"Well, well, well… so we meet at last my dear, face to face."

Raven turned around to find the Archimage standing before her, staring into her eyes with an amused smirk. She quickly took a step back as she threw forward several tentacles of her dark energy, trying to put as much space between her and the enemy as possible.

As she had hoped, he jumped back several feet to avoid being hit, barely escaping her attack as it skimmed past his robe, tearing a small piece of it. At least now she knew that _this_ was not an astral projection.

"Now that won't do. We can't have your powers going to waste like that in here. Not when I have a much more efficient use for them."

Raven dropped her arms a few inches from the shock of his statement. Did he say what she thought he just said?

"What exactly are you planning to-" but she was cut off as he raised a hand, which in turn caused a loud crashing noise, similar to that of thunder, she thought. The noise grew, echoing all around them, until finally it seemed to even out as a steady sort of rumble. Then Raven sensed that her surroundings had changed ever so slightly, but as she looked around, she didn't notice anything different about the room. It took just a few more moments before she realized that it was the color of the energy walls around her that had changed. They were turning from a bright yellowish-white to a sort of transparent light blue. She was just able to make out the rest of the stadium outside the walls. What was he doing?

The Archimage seemed to be admiring the recent changes to their surroundings, until the noise stopped altogether and he turned once again to face Raven.

"That should do it," he smirked.

"Do what?" she asked suspiciously. When the Archimage didn't respond, Raven looked around the room trying to figure out what the walls had changed, wondering what exactly he had done. As she turned, she noticed that she was now able to see her friends through the middle wall that they shared, although with the energy between them they looked hazy and distant. The other Titans were also looking around. Raven supposed that they, too, were trying to figure out what had happened.

"Raven?"

The empath took a step forward, sure that she had heard her name, before she realized that Cyborg was standing on the opposite side of the wall and to her left.

"Cyborg… Are you guys all right?"

The cybernetic teen looked back at the others, assessing their situation, before turning back to face her. "Yeah, we're all okay. How 'bout you?"

Raven let out a sigh, clearly agitated at their current circumstances. "I'm fine."

"But not for long she isn't." All the Titans turned to look at the Archimage, who was now standing about 30 feet behind Raven.

"What are you going to do with her?" Cyborg was the first to speak, as the other Titans had just realized that they could now see Raven and the Archimage through the wall.

"I'm going to steal her powers, what else?"

Raven hadn't realized that she had taken another step back toward the wall until the energy shocked her shoulder where she had come into contact with it.

"Well, I guess _drain_ her powers would be more accurate."

Raven was momentarily speechless. She didn't know what to say. All she knew was that she was in trouble, and that her friends couldn't help her from the other side of the wall.

"Leave her alone Archimage."

The blond villain broke his stare from Raven and turned to face Beast Boy, whose fists were now clenched, resembling all of the other Titans around him.

"Or what? There's nothing you can do to stop me my dear boy."

Starfire took another step forward, now as close to the barrier as she could go without actually touching it. "I assure you that if you lay one hand on our friend, you will _dearly_ regret it."

Raven was still staring at the man in front of her, out of fear that the moment she looked away he would make his first move. He didn't seem at all bothered by her friends' comments.

"Empty threats, children. What could you possibly do to save your friend now? Or let alone hurt me, from way over there? I'll be honest: I'd love to see you try."

Now it was Robin who stepped forward.

"Why are you doing all of this? I mean, why the elaborate plan? Couldn't you have gone through with everything on your own? Or were you just too much of a coward to work alone, so you had to get Dr. Light to help you?"

"Mock me all you want, but at least my plan worked. And as for Dr. Light's involvement, I needed _someone_ to actually put the spell on Raven, without drawing suspicion for being there."

Cyborg's brow was furrowed in concentration as he tried to understand the situation. "So… you used Dr. Light because you knew that it was common knowledge he hated Raven. That way none of us would have been suspicious that he seemed to only go after her…"

"Exactly. All it took was a little spell on his light beam blaster, and that part of my plan was complete. And of course he was very willing to do my dirty work for me, since he absolutely despises your friend here, and would do anything to see her taken out."

"But why Raven's powers? Are there not other people with gifts that you may 'drain'?"

The Archimage lowered his head and shook it slowly before addressing the Tamaranian princess. "As a sorcerer myself, it's really only worthwhile to take the powers of someone with magical talent, not just natural abilities."

"Dude, Raven's powers _are_ natural abilities. She was born with them." Beast Boy put his hands on his hips and cocked an eyebrow for emphasis of his statement.

"True, but the powers that she was born with are _linked_ to her magical talent. Not just anyone can have her abilities, it has to be someone with very unique craft and skill. And her being a _demoness_ too." He turned his condescending look on Raven, who had been listening quietly to the conversation between him and her friends. "That truly does make you one-of-a-kind Raven."

Raven simply glared at him. "I'm _half_ demoness. I'm still human."

The Archimage only smirked back at her. "The daughter of Trigon the Terrible is still an excellent commodity. In my opinion you're the best candidate for my little experiment that I've ever come across. And believe me, I've been looking."

"I've heard enough of this," Raven growled through clenched teeth. She raised her arms, placing her hands in front of her chest, and closed her eyes so that she could concentrate and find her center. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Everyone in the stadium kept silent, listening to the sound of Raven's enchantment echoing off the walls. Finally the empath dropped her arms to her sides, bewildered.

"I don't understand… Why didn't it work?"

The Archimage stepped closer until he was only a few feet away from her.

"That's the beauty of my latest spell. The blue energy surrounding us keeps anyone but me from doing any sort of magic. So you see Raven, you're completely helpless."

"Archimage!"

Everyone stopped and turned to face Robin, who was now glaring at the evil sorcerer.

"Let her go!" he shouted, showing a hint of both anger and fear in his voice.

"Hmm… And why would I do that, Robin?"

Raven could tell that her leader was fighting internally over what he was about to do, but he quickly made up his mind on what to say.

"We'll give you whatever you want, just don't hurt Raven."

The Titans all stared at Robin incredulously. As a hero, and a defender of an entire city, you didn't just offer a villain access to anything he wanted.

The Archimage merely waved off what Robin had said, clearly uninterested in the offer.

"I already _have_ what I want," he said as he gestured toward Raven. "Now, you're all beginning to get on my nerves with your questions and pleas. I had thought it would be fun to keep you all conscious as I drained the life out of your teammate, but now I think I don't want to deal with your constant annoyances."

Raven watched, horrified, as his eyes began to glow the same color as the walls around them, causing energy bolts to shoot through the other side of the stadium where her friends were. She saw them one by one fall to their knees in pain as the energy coursed through their bodies.

"STOP!"

The Archimage's eyes returned to their normal light brown color and the screaming from the other Titans ceased immediately. He tilted his head toward the young empath and smirked as he saw the tears now streaming down her face.

"P-please don't hurt them. All you want is me, and I'll do whatever you want, just please let them go."

The villain just laughed at her desperate, crestfallen appearance. "I wasn't planning on harming them severely, and I do intend to let them go when this is all over. I just thought you'd want your friends to be nearby when you died."

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So... that's chapter 18. Again, _really_ sorry it took so long to get out. I'm still totally determined to complete this story. I've got other ideas for stories I'd like to work on, but I only want to work on one at a time. And I'm so happy that I'm still getting reviews for this story, you guys are all awesome. But, I don't want to ramble on anymore, so I'll just end with a thank you to everyone. 

REVIEW PLEASE! (I love you if you do)


	19. Chapter 19

Okay, this is the part where I beg for forgiveness. Normally I'd go into a whole speech naming the reasons I didn't update, and you'd get bored and skip over it, so I'll leave you with a summary of two words: College applications. «Insert blood-curdling scream here.» I actually planned to have this story on hiatus until after November 30 (one of my many deadlines), but the guilt was absolutely terrible. So I wrote this chapter for you... _instead_ of rewriting my college essays. That shows loyalty, right? Anyway, here's chapter 19 of Ill Intentions for you. Enjoy.

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In an instant the Archimage had Raven kneeling on the ground, bound by some manner of spell. It felt as though she were being pulled down by several ropes entwined around her arms and torso. She struggled against whatever force was keeping her in place, but was unable to break free of it. 

"Let – me – go!" she seethed. "If you do this, I guarantee you'll regret it. Believe me; you do _not_ want my powers."

"Oh, but I think I do," he said, resting the palm of his hand on her forehead, preparing to perform his spell. Raven flinched upon feeling the icy cold of his touch on her skin.

"No, you don't. You won't be able to handle them. _I_ have trouble handling them most of the time. It's not something you're prepared to deal with."

The only sign the Archimage gave of hearing her comment was one last smirk before he closed his eyes and removed all expression from his face. He began chanting in what seemed to be some ancient language that Raven wasn't able to place. All she could do was sit there stunned, completely helpless and unable to stop him.

The other Titans had been watching silently, but upon seeing the villain begin the spell, their bout of speechlessness quickly wore off. Everyone seemed to jump up and shout at once, and a certain number of "no"s and "stop"s could be heard echoing off the walls.

The Archimage stopped chanting and pulled his hand away from Raven, though whether he stopped because of the Titans' warnings or because he had finished his incantation, she couldn't tell.

He knelt down so his face was just inches from her own. She could feel his warm breath on her as he glared into her eyes. He leaned in close and whispered into her ear, "Take one last look at your friends before I destroy you…"

Raven's eyes grew wide as on instinct, she did as he said and looked to her friends. She saw the looks of fear on each of their faces and quickly averted her gaze to the ground. She couldn't look at them.

_I could have prevented this if I had told them what was going on sooner, and now they're going to blame themselves. This is going to kill them._

All at once Raven felt ashamed, scared, alone, and guilty. How could it have gone so wrong?

The Archimage watched Raven's actions with an amused smirk. "You don't want to say good-bye to your friends? All right, but I did give you the opportunity…"

He then whispered one last quick incantation, and with a wave of his arm the spell was complete. Raven's chakra suddenly burned black, sending a wave of white-hot pain through her body. She wasn't able to hold back the scream that had formed in the back of her throat. She was in so much agony.

But as suddenly as the pain had come, it vanished, only to be replaced with a feeling of increasing coldness. It was like the warmth was being sucked out of her.

_My powers… He's draining my powers._

Raven wrapped her arms around herself at this realization, trying to keep calm. Was there any way out of this? She couldn't even move, let alone try to defend herself against someone who had powers while hers were temporarily out of commission. Looking up, Raven scowled bitterly at the man. He was just standing there staring at his hands in awe, as if he were receiving a blessing from the Almighty himself.

Suddenly the Archimage glanced toward Raven and grinned. "These powers are being _wasted_ on you… Let's see what they can _really_ do."

Before Raven could even acknowledge the fact that the magic that had bound her to the ground was gone, she was lifted into the air and violently thrown to the side of the stadium. Had she not just collided with a concrete bench, she might have taken the time to notice that the energy barriers that caged her and the rest of the Titans in were now gone. The others, however, had noticed. They didn't waste one second before they ran over to their friend.

"Raven!"

The now bruised empath felt an arm around her pulling her into a sitting position. "Starfire?"

"Yes Raven, we are all right here. Are you injured?"

It was several moments before Raven was able to open her eyes and process her friend's question. Everything was moving so slow… And when did it become so cold in there? "Just a few scrapes Starfire, it's nothing."

As she tried to sit herself up more comfortably on her own, Starfire released her arm from around Raven's back, practically jumping as she brushed past the empath's hand.

"Your hands are like ice! Raven, what ails you?"

Knowing that for some reason she wasn't going to respond, Robin kneeled down next to Starfire and grabbed Raven's hands between his. His eyes opened wide from shock, but quickly returned to their normal size. Getting panicky was never a solution to anything. He raised a gloved hand to her forehead, and a few seconds later turned to his half-robotic friend. "Cyborg, what's her temperature reading?"

There was a short pause while the metal Titan checked his sensors. "Scanners say she's 96.4°."

Starfire looked briefly confused before turning to Robin. "Is this a bad thing to have?"

"Well it's definitely not a _good_ temperature, Star," he said with an air of calmness that Starfire didn't think she could possess herself. "We need to get Raven out of here and warmed up as soon as we can."

"Unfortunately you won't be getting out of here _anytime_ soon."

Everyone turned to face the Archimage, whom they hadn't realized was now standing very close to where they were gathered.

A faint beeping noise was heard and Cyborg looked down at his arm. "Now it says she's 96.2°. Her temperature's dropping."

"And it will continue to do so until I've absorbed every bit of her power. But it shouldn't take too long;" the villain paused in his speech, collapsing an entire section of the stadium's seating with a mere gesture for emphasis of his next statement. "I can feel my own powers increasing tremendously."

Cyborg returned his arm with the scanners to his side, now focused solely on the enemy in front of them. "Well then we'll just have to put a stop to you right now."

Beast Boy turned to their leader, who was still kneeling on the ground with his two female teammates. "Your call Robin. What do you want us to do?"

Had Raven been feeling any better at the time, she would have been sure to make some remark about Beast Boy's serious, determined expression, but she supposed certain things just weren't appropriate at some moments.

Robin glanced back at her for a moment, then at Starfire. "I want you to take Raven and get out of here. Just in case anything goes wrong, she shouldn't be here. Got it?"

Starfire nodded. "Yes Robin. I wish the best of luck for you all. I know you will be victorious." With that said, the two girls were gone, Starfire flying them out through the stadium's now open roof and into the far corner of the parking lot outside. It seemed like a safe enough distance away, yet close enough that she could help the other Titans should the need arise.

The remaining Titans all stood, sonic blasters and birdarangs at the ready, prepared to jump into battle at the drop of a hat.

"That won't save her you know."

The boys' focus wavered as the Archimage's words hit them, but they never moved out of their positions. They had dealt with far too many villains to let them get under their skin like that.

"You could take her clear to the other side of the world to try and save her if time would allow it, but the spell I cast is far-reaching. It's too late to reverse it, and you can't stop it. All her power will soon be mine."

Cyborg charged his blaster, aiming it straight at the Archimage. "Not if we put a stop to you." Before the other man was able to make any sort of comeback, the cybernetic teen released the energy blast. Unfortunately, it had absolutely no effect on the powerful villain.

In an instant all chaos broke out. None of the Titans remained in one place for more than a second, determined not to give the Archimage the opportunity he needed to decommission another Titan. A blur of green could be seen charging and swooping at the dark-robed man, red and yellow disks were flying through the air in a seemingly endless supply, and blue flashes of light could be seen clear from the parking lot where the two girls waited anxiously.

Starfire peeled her eyes away from the battlefield where she knew her friends were giving it their all and turned to her friend. Raven was leaning against the concrete base of one of the light structures for support, her cloak wrapped around her for warmth.

"Raven, you are shivering. Let me help you."

The young Tamaranian reached forward and gently adjusted Raven's cloak, then began to rub her hands up and down her friend's arms to help increase the circulation. She could tell that Raven was even colder than before.

For a moment Raven was rendered speechless by the kind gesture. She really did have wonderful friends, and each one cared greatly for her well-being.

Then a wave of guilt swept over her. She should be more concerned with the others' well-being. At that very moment they were all fighting a powerful villain (_powerful thanks to me_, she thought,) and risking their lives. It wasn't fair.

"Starfire, I'll be fine. Go help the others."

The redheaded Titan paused, thinking about how to respond. "Raven," she hesitated, "I believe that the others can manage on their own, without my assistance… and you are in great need. I will not leave you."

Raven gave a soft barely-there smile to her friend. "Thank you, Starfire."

Starfire returned the smile tenfold.

Letting out a small sigh, Raven turned her attention back to the stadium.

_I wonder how they're going to pull this off._

* * *

Okay, I'm SO close to getting past this really sucky application period. Please just bear with me a little while longer. I promise this story _will_ be finished, and I will _not_ abandon it. It's just a matter of me finding/making the time to write chapters. (That and fighting off the signs of the dreaded writer's block.) As always, I'd really love to hear from you, whether you comment on the chapter or my rather long absence.

And you know, each review is a reminder to me that people actually read my story, ultimately giving me motivation to update. «Except for this chapter, ugh. Again, my apologies.»


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